Minivan

MINIVAN

I sat with several women this weekend and had to laugh when the conversation turned to how much time each woman spent in the car driving their children around. Bragging about the hours in their car, I thought about how sacrifice has become the standard for dedicated parenting. 

Does driving have to be a sacrifice? When did the car become a prison for parents? 

The car is where my children spend the most time sharing their world. It is a place where they are fresh from their experiences and willing to purge information for the first few minutes. Their thoughts come out as one long strung together sentence. They seem to forget to take breaths in an attempt to get it all out. 

Facing forward, I quickly turn the music down, not wanting to miss hearing the honesty of their friendships or the insecurities of them changing. 

I hear their frustrations with teachers and sighs of relief at completing the activity. I hear them excited to get home and relax on their time. They question what to feed their grumbling bellies and dream of sitting and reading in a quiet space after being surrounded by noise. 

The minivan is not a prison. It is the time when children return to themselves and we are lucky enough to witness it.