Mini Van Mom

I drive a '97 Jeep Cherokee. When I purchased this vehicle 6 years ago I was single, just out of college and not thinking about cramming 2 children and a 6'5" husband into it. I love my Jeep. I'm not sure how most people feel about their cars and trucks, but for me a vehicle becomes a part of the family. You take it everywhere, you care for it, hate when it's sick and not running like it should, and you put your trust into its reliability. I can no longer trust my Jeep. For a year now it's been heading downhill and I've known that the day I would have to say goodbye to it has been drawing close.

Last night at 6:15 pm I realized that it's finally over between me and the Jeep. I was driving one of our youth group girls home when my car stalled 3 times and then finally died as I was turning into the driveway. The only thing more sad than realizing the Jeep is done for is standing at a crossroads wondering if I can bring myself to become....a van mom.

For as long as I've been married I've seen this day in the horizon and wondered what I would do when faced with this decision. I'm from the SUV generation. The Dodge Durango, Trail Blazer, Expedition, GMC Yukon, 4 Runner, no way will I be driving a van before I'm 35, generation. But last night after begging a neighbor for a ride, and checking our bank account I realized that I may just be pre-35 van driving mom.

Now there's really nothing wrong with driving a Mini Van. I know a lot of hip moms that pull it off seamlessly. On more than one occasion I've gotten into a friend's Mini Van and thought "hey, this is a pretty sweet little ride." The real question though is "Is it me?" Well I composed 2 checklists to see if I thought I cold be a 'cool' van mom. The first is a check to see if my lifestyle requires a van

Do I have more than 1 child?
Do I make more than 1 trip to WalMart a week?
Do I often travel with a stroller, wagon, pack'n'play or other large family related items?
Does my family have only 1 income?
Do I detest my toddler sitting close enough to kick the back of my seat on a 5+ hour trip?
Do I love a good Bargain?

Since I could answer each of these with a resounding YES. I made this followup list to check and see if my Hipness could remain intact with the purchase of a Mini Van.

Do I know what an ipod is?
Do I have a facebook?
Do I know how to use my facebook?
Can I carry on a conversation with a teenager and not make a fool of myself by referencing more than 2 famous people the teen has never heard of because they are "before his or her time"?
When running an errand at the Highschool can I still be mistaken for a student?
Can I type a text message with more than 2 words in less than 2 minutes?

Even though that last one can sometimes trip me up, I feel that I can infact become a Mini Van mom and still maintain my street cred. This Friday My husband and I will be checking into a Dodge Caravan and maybe by Monday I will be a hip Mini Van mom.