Thursday, November 19, 2009

Minivan-Man



Happy Fatherhood Friday everyone! It's time to drive yourself over to dad-blogs.com, where a bunch of great bloggers are "parked."

So, this week, we took THE PLUNGE!

As you may know, Bab-E (#3) is coming soon, and it was finally time to break down and get A MINIVAN!

(Or, as my friend, Kid-Nee, describes--and he's allowed to since he owns one--the "Barket Lounger on Wheels")

That's right, in a 3-person deal, Honda got my Mustang, Mom-E got the Minivan, and I got Mom-E's Toyota. That said, I will still get to do a fair amount of Minivan driving.

I should clarify something: A Mustang is a horribly unfriendly car when it comes to child seats. Impossible to fit a rear-facing one, and even a forward facing seat is like putting your child INTO a sardine can. The only reason we kept the Mustang around as long as we did is that it was paid for.

We've been talking about getting the minivan for awhile now. I find it amazing that almost every time I brought it up with another guy, I got comments about how getting a minivan was akin to abandoning my manhood (in a variety of ways).

Hmm...methinks some folks are a little insecure about their masculinity, perchance?

Personally, I think it's cool.

I draw the analogy that getting a minivan is like the episode of Friends where Joey delights in the pleasures of his "man-bag."

Just like Joey said, "There's all kinds of places to put your stuff."

Not to mention, if you're going to travel by car with multiple kids and a pregnant wife, would you prefer to be cramped in a compact car or actually have some breathing room in a minivan.

Would these same guys tell me I'm abandoning my manhood if I fly first-class instead of coach? (Never flown first-class, but walked by it enough to make the analogy).

Anyway, we've really enjoyed the boys' reaction to the minivan, which Big Brother has now dubbed "The Mystery Machine." Nice.

Little Brother (our potential future veterinarian who prefers to play ball over anything too "technical" right now) saw the minivan the next morning upon awakening. When asked if he like it, he said, "No. I want cereal", but has since come to perseverate on the fact that "There's a new car in there (garage)."

Big Brother, on the other hand, (our future engineer/architect), got to see the minivan right after we brought it home.

He proceeded to do a high-kicking dance in the driveway (wearing only PJ's), screaming, "I love this car. I love this car." (What a missed video opportunity).
Anyway, he wasted no time blowing off sleep to crawl through EVERY INCH of the minivan and press every button his little fingers could find.

The next morning, while Little Brother was busy cereal-hunting, Big Brother asked (while making a bee-line) if he could go "play in the minivan" before going to school. Again, more button pushing.

Of course, given the ultra-strong magnetic power of having to imitate your older sibling, Little Brother is starting to warm up to the minivan, too.

For now, we're just enjoying the fact that it's never been easier to get the kids into the car.

And so, here's to the start of our life with a minivan. May we soon find it hard to imagine how we got by without you.

Thank you for having enough "gadgets" to keep us men-folk occupied, and the functionality and space that will make Mom-E very happy.

Have a good weekend, Drive on!
Busy-Dad-E

P.S. I need help renaming "my" Toyota. When Mom-E was the principal driver, Big Brother called it "Sally" from the Disney Cars movie. Any suggestions to complement "The Mystery Machine"?

13 comments:

  1. how bout naming the toyota velma? sounds like a car name to me. when people wanted souped up suvs, fancy cars, my dream car was a mini-van. i had one before w my ex, but we ended up trading it in for more expensive pieces of junk lol anywhoo...when my current hubs and i married he had a fairly new chevy colorado. then right before i moved out here to cali to be w him (long story), he bought another car because he knew i would need one. he bought a hyundai elantra. it turned out to be his commuter car and i drove the truck. when the kids were younger they still fit in the truck & car, but then they got to be adult sized. it's like cramming sardines in those vehicles. my hubs had promised that the year the truck was paid off, i could get my van. then when it came time, he wanted to wait another yr. i was like huh? lol needless to say, i did get it the year the truck was paid off (last yr). we sold the commuter car and now my hubs can drive his truck again and be more manly (he's 6'5"). my van is not fully loaded w gadgets or dvd players, but it has enough gadgets to make it da bomb! so what make did ya get? fully loaded? lol

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  2. Congrats on this milestone :)...I remember when we took the plunge....which for me personally was a bit of a downer...until I noticed how much gas money we were saving in comparison to our Suburban.....our children...oh they found it fascinating how they could walk back and watch a movie while we ran around town doing errands. It also proved super easy to transport kids in and out.

    As for the toyota I would say Shaggy or Daisy. :)

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  3. Congrats on the Mini-Van (I think) LOL

    WHen we were kids, we called all Toyotas: "TOTE-E-OTEES"

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  4. Good for you, but I can't go there with you. No mini vans for me. I don't judge others, but I just can't do it. Of course I don't have 3 kids either.

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  5. If you want to stick with Hanna Barbera, you could go with Speed Buggy. And there are the set of Hanna Barbera Wacky Races cars: The Bouldermobile, The Creepy Coupe, The Convert-a-Car, The Crimson Haybailer, The Compact Pussycat, The Army Surplus Special, The Bulletproof Bomb, The Arkansas Chuggabug, The Turbo Terrific, The Buzz Wagon

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  6. Welcome to the minivan club. I resisted for a while, but I had to break down after having a third child.

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  7. I dream of the day the Mr and I can drive his and her Mustangs, but must say that I drive a minivan and it is comfortable, convenient with great visibility.

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  8. Congratulations on the new vehicle...you will love it I am sure. Of course...my hubby is not a fan of minivans, but we compromised and bought a bigger SUV. Now, everyone is happy. Have fun in your new ride. Rosi

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  9. Congrats on your new minivan and I'm so glad Big Brother loves his new transport system! I'm sure it will make long trips SO much easier, and getting around town will be a fun adventure! Looking forward to seeing your new child-friendly-bat-mobile on THanksgiving! Love, Aunt-E

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  10. Mini vans, like a scar, are to appreciated as a badge of honor.

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  11. Congrats, but like Otter, I'm not going there yet... maybe it's me not wanting to be like my siblings (who both have minivans).

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  12. I've had many the conversation with my guy friends about the minivan dilemna, but I'm a believer. They can't be beat for hauling the kids around and when you take the seats out can carry nearly as much as a pickup truck. Nice work - it is the only way to go!

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