Up until baby Becker #3 became a reality, our Prius did just fine. But when we couldn’t fit the whole fam in the car any longer, it was time to trade in. Apparently the makers of the Sienna had us in mind when they designed their minivan. 

The video, plus recent reports of attempts to make minivans look “cool,” especially to suburban dads, made me think back to the Prius purchase a few years back. We were deciding between the Prius and the Highlander Hybrid. The salesman asked me, “Why are you so interested in driving a hybrid vehicle?”

I shrugged. “Well, we like the idea of better gas mileage, but it’s mostly due to social consciousness, I suppose.”

He said, “Oh, well if that’s what you want, I could always just put a sticker on the outside of the Highlander saying it was a hybrid even if you buy the regular model. I do it all the time.”

I cocked my head, baffled. What was he talking about? Eventually I figured it out–he thought by “social consciousness” I meant, “what my friends will think of me.” I thought I meant “being conscious of how my actions impact society.” 

We’re still a one-car family, although now it is a large car that, relative to the Prius, guzzles gas. Perhaps we just forfeited our social consciousness on both fronts. Oh well. At least Penny and William think it’s cool.