The New National Epidemic

Forget about this year's flu outbreak or tainted beef, the real epidemic is the mini van/SUV craze.

Without fail, five minutes after a coworker or friend announces a coming baby, they are at the Dodge dealer eyeing the new Caravans.

I will admit that with the current car seat guidelines, you really can't have more than two kids in the backseat of an ordinary sedan. But back in the 80s, my parents fit three of us in the backseat of a Honda Civic hatchback. We didn't even have three seatbelts in the backseat, but we all survived to adulthood.

What reason is there for a family with one child to have a seven passenger mini-van. Or, for that matter, when you have two kids who are out of car seats, what need is there for seven seats? I once asked a coworker and mother of two teenagers what need she had for a mini-van. Her argument was that she needed room for friends and things.

Excuse me? You buy a bigger car so your kids don't have to interact with their family members? My parents had three kids of their own to worry about, there were no friends coming along on family outings.

Until you have a need for three car seats, or you have more than three children, no family needs to be in anything the size of a Hummer.