Soccer Mom

I've come across many of my friends who share in the same view of driving a van...we don't want to do it. However, the reality is there if you are going to have more than the current average number of children (1.9...we're almost there now!), then you need a car large enough to provide space for them to sit. However, it isn't just them, it's the car/booster seat needed to make their travel "safe". So, in any particular sedan, the limit is that 1.9 average. You can comfortably seat 2 kids in car seats...usually.
Well, looking at the world and the rising gas costs and such, one would wonder if it is more reasonable to drive two gas friendly cars or just jump in and get that larger vehicle, be it SUV or van (mini-van included in that name). Upon assessing our own situation and desires for family growth, we've decided that it makes more sense to get the van and have Eric drive the eco-friendly gas saver scooter to and from work.
That led us to our decision yesterday to trade in both our cars and get a van. The good part is, we live in Georgia. This is a reasonable decision for us. We have pretty mild winters so scooter driving is possible basically throughout the year. Of course, there will be days of Georgia downpour that won't be so great, but we can figure those out as they come (he drives the van that day). We can't really argue with getting 90 miles per gallon!!
So now, I get to be the lovely soccer mom and get over my pride when it comes to vehicles. Good bye to my way-cool Passat! Hello to filling up a van full of kiddos!