It doesn’t have to be a minivan. Those things annoy me on any vehicle. Look! There’s Mommy, and Daddy, and Bobby playing baseball, and little baby Jimmy, and Susie who just loves cheerleading, and oh! Spot the Dog and Fluffy the cat. And is that a pet bird?
Meanwhile, Bobby’s in the back seat thinking about his real family structure: Mommy on her third husband, and his real Daddy he gets to see on weekends with his other new Daddy, his half-sister Susie, forced into cheerleading to fulfill her mother’s dreams, and seriously, where did little baby Jimmy even come from? Spot the dog who eats his own poo, and Fluffy the cat who roams the house anxiously meowing. Probably tortured, looking for that mysterious pet bird Bobby didn’t even know he had.
At first I saw that proud display of stick family love as obnoxious screams of, “Hey! Look at me! Look what I have! Look what I’ve accomplished!” Those stickers seem to portray an illusion of that put-together, happy family, perfection, that how-does-she-do-it-all mom. Everyone smiling, permanently thrilled to be going wherever that minivan takes them.
And I suppose there is nothing wrong with that. But us stick-family observers are smarter than that. We know life inside that van isn’t all puppies and rainbows. And if it is? Good for them. Or perhaps it’s time to get some help; they’re probably in serious denial.
I will not pretend to know what motivates someone to plaster those creative stick figures on the family vehicle, but maybe there’s more to it than what I am giving people credit for. I mean, yeah, life sucks super bad sometimes, but who hasn’t tried to put on a happy face, in spite of it all? Maybe this happy stick family reminds Mommy of everything she does have to be grateful for, especially on those bad days, the days she really struggles. Or maybe this is the first thing in life that Mommy and/or Daddy really feel proud of, feel like they did something right, and they can’t help but want to express that…somewhere.
So I’ve made the executive mental decision to stop judging the stick family families. I am 100% certain I will relapse, but at least I am making an effort.
My favorite stick figure family? One happy looking stick person next to a tent.
My favorite favorite stick figure family? One happy looking stick person trailed by eight stick cats.
The best.
the other fork in the road 
See that orange thingy at the top of your post? I’ll pick them up from said vehicle in do time.
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I want to one day just put like 75 CAT ones on my car, so people think I’m the crazy old cat lady. lol
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Right? Like covering my body and tangled in my hair.
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And that is for sure the best-est ever Stick Family! Though I’ve been thinking, two more stick kitties must be added to that mix.
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Congratulations, you’re the proud new owner of two more cats!
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Can you say Vanagon?
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We all fit in our VW van, backward seats and all.
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My favorite best-est ever Stick Family. Two adults, one, ( Mr Stick ), has a stick camera hanging from his stick neck standing along side of Mrs Stick. They are followed by four kid sticks, one boy stick and three girl sticks. All of these stick figures are standing in front of a stick tent, a couple stick canoes with stick fishing rods, two stick snowmobiles, a stick RZR, with two or three stick trucks, and a stick FJ. Oh yeah, lest I forget, there are four stick cats in the picture, one very special calico, a black, a puffy white & grey long hair and a siamese. All being harassed by four stick grand kids.
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How do they all fit in that minivan?? You have a beautiful stick family. They’re not so bad in 3D either, Dad.
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perhaps truthful stick figures
mommies and daddies
crossed off
along with slot machines (it didn’t stay in vegas)
and skeletons
in the closet 🙂
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There’s a healthy dose of reality.
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