Never Trust a Minivan

When I looked over the prompts I knew I had to write about an experience that happened to me involving a minivan. When I was a baby I was in the car with my great grandmother as well as my great aunt. While we were on the road a minivan came without warning and caused the car with my family and me to flip over. This accident was a serious one and because I was so little I had to be transported to a nearby hospital via helicopter because the first responders wanted to ensure I wasn’t harmed. When my parents heard the news of what happened they rushed to my location. When they saw me they realized that apart from a scar on my head I was alright. This revelation filled them with such relief because on their way to see me all they could think about was the alternatives. “What if she isn’t ok?” “What if this accident ruins my baby’s life?” Knowing that no harm had come to me was the miracle they prayed to God for. However despite the news of my safety, not everyone was so lucky. My parents found out that my great grandmother did survive the accident. This news crushed my father because he lost his grandmother , the woman who loved and adored since he was small. My father was known for being a very resilient man but this incident left him in a place of brokenness. He wasn’t the only one who felt this loss; many members of my family felt the same way he did. My great grandmother was a beloved member of my family and her death hurt everyone in some way. Years later, my father held on to a distrust for minivans. Anytime he sees one on the road he always says”You can never trust a minivan!” I always found it odd that he said this all the time but I realized he was projecting his pain. My father has never truly recovered from the accident that happened all those years ago and can no longer look at a minivan and not see the accident that robbed him of someone he loved. As I grew older and started to prepare to get behind the wheel a growing fear manifested itself inside me. All I could think about was the dangers that come with driving. “What if I get on the road and make a mistake that costs someone their life?” “ What if my mistake causes someone else to have to live with detrimental consequences?” Questions such as these flooded my mind and caused me to revoke any aspirations I previously had about driving. My parents heard my concerns and didn’t want to force me into driving. They believed driving, like all things, comes at a particular time and that one shouldn’t rush how soon they came. Their understanding of my concerns filled me with such relief because they helped take away the pressure I felt towards driving. Most fifteen year olds put all the effort in the world into working towards a car but that wasn’t the case for me. I wanted to focus on my academics and leave the driving to my very skilled parents. When I turned sixteen and started my junior year of high school my mindset towards driving slowly started to shift. I realized that because I lacked the ability to drive I put my parents in a difficult situation because they have to alter their schedules just to pick me up from school. I know that this was very inconvenient for my parents but they would never outwardly say it to me because they don’t want me to feel bad. On top of that, I was also able to secure an internship with a judge over the summer but a problem came with that as well. I would be interning with this judge during the day which meant my parents wouldn’t always be able to take me and unfortunately Rockwall doesn’t have any city buses. When I began to consider these two pressing matters I decided to grit my teeth and be bold and asked my parents to put me in driving classes. My parents were both surprised and proud when they heard this and put me in classes right away. The classroom portion of the driving classes was great, it gave me insight into different driving elements I previously had no knowledge on. Once I completed the classroom person and received my learner’s permit I felt so accomplished. When it came to the driving portion of my classes I still had a few nerves but as I continued to practice I slowly lost some of the fear that was holding me back. The car that I am using for pratice happens to be a minivan and that allowed me to come up with an idea. I’m going to change my dad’s mindset on minivans by being a great driver. I know that part of him still holds on to the hurt he experienced at the hands of a minivan but I will work to vanquish both his and my fears .