Driving With
Pride
Stephenie Freeman
Cars are more than just tons of metal that take us from here to there. They are more than just status symbols that we work hard to pay for and take great care of. They are actually a big part of our daily life that defines who we are.
A debutant in her Mercedes. A cowboy in his truck. A middle-aged man in his Hummer. Before we even meet them, we feel like we already know something about them and most likely have formed some sort of a judgment about their personality. And don’t forget that tired looking woman driving a SUV or a mini-van. We do not have to see the juice stained back seat or the pile of groceries in the back to know that she is a mother. So why is it that these mothers now feel the need to put a bumper sticker of stick figure family members on the back of their cars?
If you don’t know what I am talking about, then you haven’t been a part of public transportation lately. Family stick figure bumper stickers are all over the place. These white stick figure families have replaced the “Baby on Board” signs of the 1980’s. They are the way that parents of today are announcing that they are carrying precious cargo.
There are family bumper sticker figures of all kinds. There are traditional ones with the mom, dad and the kids with all of their names listed under their respected stick figure. Oh look, there goes Scott, Tracey, Abby, David, and their new baby Paige. I have even seen stickers that include family pets with dogs named Barney, cats named Kitty, and even a pet turtles named Speedy. There are family stickers for single parents. There are family stickers for grandparents and all of their grandkids. Once I even saw a sticker of a man named Pete with stickers for his three cats, Lupe, Tom-Tom and Buttons. That one is my favorite so far.
There are so many of these family bumper stickers on the road that it is starting to become distracting. I almost rammed into the back of a woman the other day trying to get close enough to her car to count the number of flip-flop stickers on her back windshield. There was a daddy pair, a mommy pair, and five kid pairs. Flip-flops took up the entire length of their station wagon. Any more kids and they won’t be able to see out the back.
I couldn’t help but start to wonder about this flip-flop family. The flip-flops had to stand for something; must represent something about their family. Maybe they love the water. Maybe they are a family of life guards. Maybe all of their children were conceived on a beach. As I peered into their car, indeed I saw a car packed full of kids with a mom shaking her finger at someone in the backseat and a dad in the driver’s seat oblivious to it all. I guess the flip-flops are there to remind them that, well, life is just a beach.
I am getting so used to seeing these bumper stickers all over town that I am starting to feel left out for not having one. Just today I saw a sticker where everyone was holding hands and smiling. Underneath were the simple words, “My Family.” It dawned on me for the first time the reason why these bumper stickers are on ever car in town. The parents that drive these vans and sport utility vehicles decorate their cars with these stickers because they are proud of their families.
Families come in every shape and size and no matter what they look like, the parents are proud of them and want to share their pride with others. We decorate our homes with picture frames. We have our kids on our computer screen savers. We carry their pictures in our wallets and in our cell phones. These stick figure families are the closest we will get to sharing pictures of our children with strangers on the road. Guess these family bumper stickers aren’t so bad after all. Wonder if they have them for two boys, two guinea pigs, and a dog? I am sure they do.
Previous Posts:
It's a Boy Thing
Definition of a
Modern Mother
My Friend At
Target
Reruns & Action
Figures
Pajama Time
Organizational
Issues
Summer Freedoms
Excitement About
the Small Things
The Lies We
Parents Tell
Birthdays to
Remember
Can You Hang
Tinsel On A Recycling Bin?
Time Out For
Dummies
I'm A June Clever
Wannabe
To read more from Stephenie, visit her site!
Mama Wants More
A column for today's mother who has it all and still wants more
because you're a mother, a wife, a citizen, a consumer. You're
unappreciated, underpaid, and over qualified for wiping bottoms &
cleaning toilets. But this was your dream. This is what you always
wanted. you love your life, but you still want more . Me too.
