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" Diaper changing. That&amp;#039;s what sold me on losing my cute little Honda and officially embracing my Minivan-Mom persona. I live in Minnesota and it only takes one icy draft to your backside while you&amp;#039;re hunched over the passenger seat doing an emergency diaper change to make you realize the value of a small house on wheels (and also of high-rise pants). Even if that &amp;quot;house&amp;quot; does come with significant downgrade to your social status and self-image. All this is changing though \u2014 if automakers have anything to say to about it, minivans are going to be the new &amp;quot;It&amp;quot; vehicle. Or at least, your 6th grader won&amp;#039;t be embarrassed to be seen with you because of your ride. (Don&amp;#039;t worry, he still thinks your haircut is uncool and your clothes are weird.) Through a series of savvy ad campaigns, writes The New York Times, &amp;quot;Minivan makers are trying to recast the much-ridiculed mom-mobile as something that parents can be proud \u2014 or at least unashamed \u2014 of driving.&amp;quot; Remember the Toyota Sienna&amp;#039;s hilarious &amp;quot;Swagger Waggon&amp;quot; music video? With over 7.8 million views on YouTube alone, who doesn&amp;#039;t?  Automakers are focusing on tricking out rides to appeal to hip moms and dads rather than just catering to their children. New features involve streamlined exteriors, adult conveniences like a rear gate you can open by waving your foot under and even a new name like Ford&amp;#039;s &amp;quot;compact people movers.&amp;quot;  So I asked my mom friends if upping the cool ante would change how they feel about minivans and what made them choose their current car. Laura says, &amp;quot;I needed a car big enough where my three kids couldn&amp;#039;t touch each other! Plus my Sienna has a lipstick holder! Not that I ever have occasion to wear lipstick, but it&amp;#039;s nice to know somebody&amp;#039;s thinking about my wants.&amp;quot; Megan confesses, &amp;quot;The honest truth is that, yes, I got a Tahoe because I thought minivans were not cool. There was a stigma in my mind. But now that we have three more kids I would trade it in a heartbeat.&amp;quot; Jenn commands, &amp;quot;Respect the van. I&amp;#039;m a utilitarian. My practicality outweighs any desire to be cool.&amp;quot; But Dayna is adamant, &amp;quot;I&amp;#039;m not into minivans at all! I love my SUV. I feel like I can be me and a mom in it. I tried a minivan and I just looked stupid behind the wheel.&amp;quot;  While pragmatism rules \u2014 us moms are known for being rational \u2014 a little more fashion in our function would be nice. Jason Tobias, in the Times article, points out, &amp;quot;So many people used to say, &amp;#039;I&amp;#039;ll never drive a minivan,&amp;#039; and then, guess what? It&amp;#039;s called children.&amp;quot;  That&amp;#039;s true for me. My husband and I long resisted buying a minivan but when our fourth child came along and all of them still needed to be in car seats, it became a matter of practicality. So I appreciate that automakers are trying to make the new minivans as appealing to adults as they are to children. After all, kids may rule the house but parents still hold the wallet, even if it is lost in the diaper bag.  Do you own a minivan? What was your breaking point in buying it? Do you love it or are you counting the days until you can get back to something a bit more your style? Charlotte Hilton Andersen is the author of the new book, The Great Fitness Experiment: One Year of Trying Everything. "^^<http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema#string>
<http://www.redbookmag.com/life/mom-kids/news/a6128/minivan-moms-soccer-moms/>