Let’s face it, vans are a necessity when you have kids, but they aren’t exactly cool. I drove a van for over ten years, and every time I got in it, my fantasy of maintaining my 20s coolness vanished and neon lights proclaiming matriarch flashed, no matter how stylish my jeans or how cute my shoes.
When you drive a van you are a mom.
There is nothing wrong with being a mom – I enjoy it a lot. It’s just that it can be hard to be anything else. You find yourself saying you have to go potty when you excuse yourself from the table, or moving a guest’s wine glass back from the edge of the table.Â
You’ve been there. You know. It is easy to lose yourself into that vast black hole known as mommy-hood. There is a point in every mom’s life when she dreams of driving something that reflects her inner wild child.
Last year I started thinking about trading in the van for something more adventurous, exciting – sexy. You can blame it on a midlife crisis if you want but I wanted something with only two seats, and a convertible top.
- Something red.
- Something exciting.
- Something that said anything but mom.
In April I turned 52. In the past year the doctors have finally gotten my thyroid meds balanced and I have lost 30 pounds. I have kept up with my hair so it is long and healthy. I have treated myself to manicures, massages, and facials. Honestly, I look better than I have any other age since my 20s.
A week before my birthday my husband texted me. Come outside and see your birthday present.
You know, right? Yep.
In the driveway was a red BMW convertible with a black leather interior. It was totally not a mom van. Now when I go somewhere I feel successful, cherished, sexy, and cool. As my nine year old said recently when she and I had a lunch date, “I just love your car mom, it makes us look goooooood.â€
I like looking goooooood, and my husband looks amazingly attractive driving the van.
photo credit: Marye Audet
