Never Say Never

One of my favorite musicians is Neil Young. The guy has been around for 30+ years writing songs mixing from all different styles -- rock, grunge, folk, country. I remember watching an interview with him one time where he was asked if he looked back with regret at some of the music he had recorded that hadn't been successful or held up over the years. Young responded that he had learned a long time ago not to say you would never do something because he had tried it all over the years. I think that is sound advice.

Three "nevers" come to mind when I look back at what Amy & I said we wouldn't do once we had children. First, we would never allow our house to turn into a children's playground, a Fisher-Price house if you will. Second, we would never buy a minivan. And third, we would never put our kids on leashes when we took them out in public.

Fast forward to today where our house is now sprinkled with a Pack-n-Play, two swings, two bouncy seats, a fold-up play set, two Baby Bjorns, random sightings of pacifiers, and a dining room table that doubles as Diaper Changing Station B. I think it's safe to say we lost out on #1.

As for #2, we have spent the past three months leaning in and out of the Honda Accord putting babies in or taking them out of their car seats. The trunk holds their stroller and perhaps a handful of pocket change, but that's about it. So we have decided that it's time to give in to our preconceived notions and join the legions of suburbanite families who have a minivan. As my friend Jeff told me this morning, "Practicality wins out every time, Derek." And he's right. In order for us to live our life the way we want -- traveling places with the boys, taking the dog whenever we want, being able to use our backs in our 40's -- we need to have a functional vehicle.

So preamble aside, we test drove a Honda Odyssey last weekend, a great test drive since it was our neighbor's across the street and we didn't have to deal with a salesperson. Then Amy test drove Chrysler's model last night. Ultimately we decided on the Odyssey (which as a bonus is the one the CarTalk guys recommend....gotta love Click & Clack.



We sent off emails to four area Honda dealerships last night, hoping to pit them against each other so we can get the best deal. (Side note, in our free market society why on earth hasn't a car company developed a better, less painful way of buying a vehicle? I think people like going to the dentist for a root canal more than they do buying a car.) So we'll see how the weekend plays out.

BTW, if anyone knows of a good deal on a kid leash set, we might as well relinquish that preconceived notion as well. Cheers!