I was behind one of those minivans today. You know them; they have stick figure decals on the back showing the members of their family. Tall dad on the far left, followed by mom, two to four children of various sizes and genders, all the way down to the dog, in descending order of size. I thought about my little family and how I would exhibit it. One mommy figure (me), and one medium sized girl (my nine-year-old daughter). That would be it, people-wise. Seems lonely. Technically, my daughter’s father is not part of my family, and he never rides in this car, but he is part of hers, and we get along rather well. So does he get a sticker? Maybe mom and dad next to each other with a big slash between them, or mom on the far left side and dad on the other, with our sweet girl stuck smack in the middle. What about my boyfriend? He doesn’t live with us, but what if he did? He does ride in the car a lot. Would he warrant a sticker?  Maybe he gets a spot up in the corner, with a line drawn to me. We don’t have a dog or a cat, but we do have a rabbit and a hamster, both dear and precious to us. Do they make tiny rabbit and hamster stickers for these family sets?

     I have yet to see a set of stickers on any car that presents anything but a classic, perfectly intact family. (Although I did see one where the mom was represented by a mud flap girl). I am pleased and happy for all these families; I think it’s grand that they can display their family pride. But families come in all shapes and sizes, are extended and convoluted in many ways. No one seems willing to represent those families on their vehicles. Are we not allowed to? What is the social norm in this situation? I don’t know about anyone else, but I feel left out, and a little offended. Time to start a revolution.

P. S. I looked it up. There is a whole world of family figure decals for your car. It’s really quite frightening. And I am not the first person to offer up my opinion on the matter, either. I think I’ll just leave up my “Peace is Patriotic” sticker for the time being.