– TRAVEL –
STAND BY YOUR VAN
THERE COMES A TIME WHEN ALL PARENTS MUST EMBRACE THEIR PARENTAL TAXI. By Barry Kaufman
B
efore kids, your choice of automobile is all about two factors: what you like and what you can afford.
The maddeningly small sliver in the middle of that Venn diagram represents what kind of car you’re going to drive. Maybe you’re the outdoorsy type who goes for an off-roader, maybe you’re more the high-octane muscle car type. Maybe you’re the sensible sedan type - no judgment. The point is, what you drive is solely your decision. And then kids come along. And suddenly, your car is not just your car. It’s a multi-functional transport for tiny humans, their various car seats and granola bar wrappers, and all of the equipment and gear that enables their 32 ParenthoodIQ.com • SPRING 2020
sports and extracurriculars. It’s at this point that your average parent finds their options narrowed down to just two. Do you choose a minivan and accept the fact that ample space is the price you pay for driving around in a mom-mobile? Or do you choose an SUV, where you can still feel that pre-kid sense of cool whenever you’re not hauling the little ones around? Having lived in both worlds, I’d like to offer what guidance I can. For several years, my primary kid taxi was a Dodge Nitro. For those of you who don’t remember Dodge’s last cool SUV,
