When they issued the parental uniform at the hospital after the birth of our first child, we only took part of the ensemble.
Sure, I wore the milk-stained shoulder shirts and one-piece bathing suits that covered the C-section scar, but at the time we didn’t jump in line to get the keys to the requisite minivan.
It was just something I didn’t think we needed -- my gosh, the baby was only 8 pounds, how much room did we need? But as he grew, and we added three more car seats, a double stroller, and two sets of hockey equipment; we found the need for a bigger car.
So bigger we went.
We’ve gone through most of the Big 3’s lines of sport utility vehicles over the years -- but lately, I’ve found that although they are quite sporty, they aren’t as useful as they once were for us.
So recently, when it was time to choose the next family car I said that sentence that caused my husband to die a little inside -- “I think we should get a minivan.” I think this was his final holdout that we needed transportation not merely to cruise, but to pick up Pamper’s Cruisers. Because when it comes to cars, women are from Venus, and men are from Saturn, Taurus and planet Porsche.
But I can’t help it. It is time. I’m tired of hoisting up toddlers 6 feet into the air to buckle in car seats--my forearms are bigger than Popeye’s. I’m more than weary of paying $80 for a tank of gas, and I’d rather drive eye-level to a stop sign rather than a stop light.
We’ve had the minivan for a little more than a month and so far so good. The kids are pretty happy with the extra interior bells and whistles, and our insurance premiums have dropped to about forty seven cents every six months.
My husband was just starting to get used to it -- I had just convinced him he could drive better without the bag over his head when all of my next arguments ran out of gas. Just when I thought I could hang up a sign that said, “Husband On Board,” another sign -- in the form our new license plate arrived. I swear on Lee Iacocca I didn’t plan this, but I really wish I had.
Our parental uniform is now complete. It even comes with an engraved nametag.
-- Tracey henry, the Suburban Diva
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Sharon Kennedy Wynne has sunscreen in her blood. She may have been born in Buffalo but she got here as fast as she could, in time for kindergarten. She grew up in St. Petersburg, graduated from the University of Florida journalism school, and even got married at Sunken Gardens. She's one of the few adults we know who actually loves taking her kids to the beach. She has two sons and with 10 years of parenting under her belt, she's starting to feel a little less out of her league. She comes from a large family and loves to debate, so brace yourself when the hot topics come up.
Amy Hollyfield is a workaholic mother of two young
daughters, blessed to have a work-at-home husband who makes their life possible. She was born in Detroit and moved around a lot as a kid (read: Air Force brat). She has lived in Florida since the month after she
graduated from Northwestern University. She lives for the yelps, hugs and kisses that greet her on nights that she makes it home before bedtime.
Sherry Robinson was born in the Sunshine State but she feels more comfortable inside a mall than outside at the beach -- thank goodness her husband is the outdoorsy type. He takes their two sons on night hikes, beach runs and bug hunts while Sherry does her best to take care of the homestead -- and find out what is new on the store shelves. A graduate of the University of South Florida in 19noneofyourbusiness, Sherry has been at the Times for nearly 20 years. And with nearly 10 years of parenting experience, Sherry is eager to offer up some great dish on raising kids and keeping your sanity.
Guest blogger Tracey Henry, a.k.a. Suburban Diva, is a frantic, slightly frazzled mother of four. She is a freelance humor writer and author which is the only thing that parenting four children ages 12-1 trains you for, except perhaps court jester and professional bull rider. She and her husband have lived all over the country, but settled in Florida eight years ago because the beachcombing is so much better here than on the banks of the Mississippi. Their family time includes a lot of sport -- both watching and playing -- and fun in the sun and surf. Catch her in Whoa, Momma! and on her site, 
Sherri Day and her husband welcomed their daughter into the world in early 2008. So far, she describes parenthood as exciting, exhausting and exhilarating. A self-described Southern belle with small-town values and big-city idealism, Sherri was born in rural Georgia. She received her bachelor's degree in journalism from Clark Atlanta University and her master's of journalism from the University of California at Berkeley. She is the Brandon bureau chief for the Times. Sherri moved to Tampa from Brooklyn four years ago.
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