Growing up, my family had a full-size van, a green 1974 Chevy SportVan 20, if I remember correctly. When I got my license, I pretty much did all the driving, so the van, named Sweet Pea, kinda became my vehicle. At some point, my folks gave her to me as a birthday gift; with the kids growing up, they could get by with my mother's Citroens. So, Sweet Pea was mine.

I had a lot of adventures in Sweet Pea. My friends and I did a lot of camping, traveling, and basically just hanging out and getting into (or staying out of) trouble, thanks to that van. When I was in my twenties, however, she broke down and, lacking the wisdom that comes much later in life, sold her. I regretted it almost immediately, of course.

Country singer Dan Seals recorded a song that really meant a lot to me called My Old Yellow Car, about someone who fondly remembers their first car and wishes they could trade their fancy chauffeur-driven Mercedes to have it back again. Thursday evening, I played that song in the car with the kids. I stopped to explain it to them and to tell them about Sweet Pea.

Jared asked if he could see a picture of Sweet Pea and I told him that when we got home, I'd see if I could find one. Sure enough, I had an old scan of a photo on the computer and showed it to him. We looked at a few more old pictures and then it was bedtime. Jared went in his room to get ready and started crying. Rachel and I both went to comfort him and find out what was wrong.

"I miss Sweet Pea!" he wailed. For some reason, he was heartbroken that I had gotten rid of Sweet Pea. For some reason, he really felt a connection with the vehicle that had been such a big part of my younger days. Eventually, we got him calmed down and into bed, but he was really upset. We did end up kinda promising we'd get another van, though.

Jared is indeed a very empathetic little boy, but Rachel thinks that the stress and excitement of starting the new school year may have contributed to his emotional state. What do you all think? Have you ever had a kid get so upset about something like this? Does starting school affect them that much?