Above is a pic of my youngest daughter and me.
My Husband, My brother in Christ
What the Car You Drive Says About You
I am a blonde, blue-eyed 115 lb. woman that takes fitness seriously, with 6 children that drives a 15 passenger white van and according to THIS article:
...your car is saying a lot about your attitude and your personality. Yes, we are what we drive... Carmakers acknowledge that minivan sales have gone flat in part because fewer of us, especially women, still subscribe to the "mommy-mobile" image... "People construct an ideal in their mind of the perfect car, and those attributes are transferred to its driver as well," James said... Whether this driving ideal has much to do with reality is pretty much beside the point.The article then gives tongue-in-cheek descriptions of what personality you have according to specific vehicles. For example, If you drive a Toyota Prius, they write:
We get it. You love the planet like a fat kid loves cake. Tell you what — I'll acknowledge your superior consciousness when you stop driving 52 in the fast lane.It goes on to list about 10 other types of cars, and no, they do not list a 15 passenger van, though they do include that "mommy-mobile" image thing.
They happen to mention the vehicle that is my ideal car, though I am very content driving my over-sized mommy-mobile. What is my ideal car? A Hummer. What do they say about Hummer drivers?
Gotta hand it to you. You don't give a three-ton truck about what other people think. That's the attitude that tamed the Old West, that built the auto industry...Though I do give a three-ton truck about what other people think when it comes to how I live my life, my attitude and my actions ONLY because I believe, as a Christian, I am to make my light shine before men and exemplify Christ... I do not give a three-ton truck about what other people think when it comes to driving my... bus. It's fun. Yes, people gawk and snicker and just cannot believe that is my vehicle of choice. "But, you're a doctor's wife," they say. Ummmm.... "So?"
I love being able to bring more than just my children places. I love that I do not have to worry about anyone scratching the paint, or keeping the carpet pristine. I love that I can go to Lowe's and haul stuff in it without worrying if I damaged my temporal "treasure." We have built a lot of memories in this crazy van. Like taking all 6 of the kids PLUS 3 teenage girls with us to Colorado to go skiing for a week. The van was PACKED. Think about it. THREE teenage girls! PLUS our family of 8. :-D
So if I could write a tongue-in-cheek description of a mom that drives a 15 passenger van, what would I write? Hmmm? Perhaps, after reading my blog and this post, you may have an idea. :-D
Comments
I'm with you--I don't mind what I drive, which happens to be a "mommy van".
To be honest with you, I couldn't WAIT to join the ranks of the "mommy" demographic (having endured 19+ years childless). Our van was a great buy that came our way much earlier than we expected (about 20 months before we brought our girls home!). Believe me, I had some 'splaining' to do to my coworkers at the time--'why did y'all get a mini van?' :-)
But, I'm still 'dream' of my classic convertible candy-apple red Mustang. One of these days, one of these days...!!! :-)
Posted by: connie | January 5, 2008 09:48 PM
Well, I can see you in that convertible!!!
Before we bought the "bus" I drove a mini-van with leather seats and a TV and a pretty decked out sound system. We sold it because we adopted the twins and a mini-van holds only 7 people. We wanted to be able to go to church as a family of 8 in one vehicle. There are no leather seats... no TV and the sound system isn't much to be desired (lots of background road noise), but we fit in it as a family, plus some, and that is all that counts to us... and I know that you know what I mean. :-)
Posted by: Lisa | January 5, 2008 11:08 PM
Oh, I do miss those days of piling all of our kids into our 15 passenger van and looking into my rearview mirror, knowing they were all safe and sound in ONE vehicle!! It was a sad day for me when we sold ours, although it was also a happy day, as it meant we were moving along the parenting pathway and teaching our kids to become adults - this had to include driving their own vehicles!
Now, as three of them are out of our home and we "only" have two minivans, two cars, and a truck in our names, I look back fondly on our 15 passenger days - every time I drive past the church building where it now serves a different purpose.
I have to admit, I do LOVE parking the cars we have now, as compared to the monster van, but that was a stage in our family that I will never forget. Be sure to take a photo of all of your kids inside the van, Lisa! The one I took, looking back from the driver's seat, is one of my more treasured photos.
Posted by: sheshe | January 8, 2008 04:34 PM