Kids, We're Getting a Minivan.
I'm not proud to say that I'm going to be getting a Minivan pretty soon. I mean, sure... they aren't the old steal boxes with fake wood siding that used to crowd the parking lot of my school growing up, but to me there is that stigma attached to them. That stigma that tells the world, "I've given up on my life, and now I drive a Minivan."
First off, let's start with the fact that I in no way think that Motherhood is giving up on life. As we all know it's the hardest job we'll ever have that we love more than anything else in the world. Of course, I'm also not saying that a Minivan is necessarily giving up on life either. But I can't help but think about all of the Moms that drove those in the 80's and 90's that wore knee socks, bermuda shorts, turtle necks, or *gasp* MOM JEANS while driving their family movers proudly from school to extra curricular activities. When I was growing up, my Mom always looked cool. If she wasn't driving a Porsche (I'm dead serious about that), wearing a Tennis Outfit, and sporting Pat Banetar hair then she was dressed at the height of fashion driving a Benz. Sure, I grew up in a world that is different than most. But what my Mom taught me is that just because you are a Mother, that doesn't mean you can't still look cool and feel good about yourself.
She always drove a car she liked that suited her needs, and while some of them were a bit more exotic then I could ever dream of affording, she still stuck true to herself rather then just give up. All this time, when I've had my Mother-in-Law tell me that just because I am a Mom means I can't wear high heels anymore, or that I have to start dressing more like a Mom I've RESISTED her notions and telling myself that I don't have to be like her, because I can be like me. I've fought hard to prove that you can still be "you" while still being "Mommy." I think that with all of that resistance has brought the fight against the Minivan in me.
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