Since a lot of the traveling I do is in a car, comfort is paramount and I just have to say how much I actually LOVE driving a minivan. I drive a 2019 Toyota Sienna and when we were car shopping, it was my husband who was pushing for it. I didn’t want to be a minivan mom. But as the charming car salesman put it, I wasn’t out “trotting” anymore, whatever that means. I understood well enough to know that I was destined to be a minivan mom, whether I liked it or not.
A friend went the minivan route a few years before me and she commented that not having to open and close doors in parking lots made all the difference. I didn’t really see why this was a such a big deal until I had my three kids in the Sienna. So much aggravation and stress (Did I scratch that car? Does the owner even care?) melted away and I was free. Free to roam, free to drink lots of iced coffee and listen to Spotify while my kids slept, free to be me: someone who would rather not be at home but also has a lot of children to load and unload everywhere she goes.
Lately I have been wondering if a large SUV is in our future. I do think the trunk space would be better and as my kids get bigger, the interior more roomy. But I would miss the center aisle and those precious, beautiful sliding doors.
SUV people, enlighten me. Is there any reason to come back over to the dark side of opening doors and folding down seats for third row access? I’m open.
Motherhood, optimized 