I Used To Be Cool

“I used to be cool,” the bumper sticker screamed on the back of the non-descript minivan. Laughing, I pulled up beside my kindred spirit and glanced over, hoping to give her a sign of solidarity. She didn’t notice me.

“What’s so funny, Mommy?” my three-year-old daughter asked.

Jenna was the oldest of three girls and full of life. And questions.

“I used to be cool,” I said, smiling, thinking of days gone by.

“Cool? You’re still cool, Mommy,” she said. I paused, surprised, and looked in the rearview mirror at my mini-me.

“Why am I cool?” I asked. Jenna thought for a moment.

“You buy me ice cream and rescue me,” she said. The ice cream part was obvious, but I was confused about the rest.

“What do you mean ‘rescue you’?” I said, thinking she was super spiritual. I was so wrong.

“Like when I was hanging from the garage door,” she said. I couldn’t help but giggle.

When Jenna was three, I opened the garage door and noticed my firstborn holding onto the bottom, her arms lifted toward heaven. Time froze as I watched her float up with the garage door like a balloon, her tiny feet swinging in the air and her face enjoying every second. As any good mom would do, I wanted to take a picture, but my phone was still inside. Swiftly, I scooped her up, trying to be stern.

Proof that Jenna, age 3, liked to hang on things

“You could’ve been hurt that day,” I said in my motherly voice, yet knowing she was like a cat who always landed on her feet. After all, she jumped out of the grocery cart when she was two. Other onlookers were sympathetic, but I gave her a timeout. In both instances, my motherly instinct kicked in, and I immediately knew what to do:

Laugh first, rescue second.

As if it was written specifically for mothers, Proverbs 17:22 says,

“A cheerful heart is good medicine.”

Though some days last an eternity, life moves at lightning speed. Jenna is a teen now and no longer admits I’m “cool,” but I still buy her ice cream and rescue her from things other than garage doors.  A wise person once said that if you enjoy what you do, you’ll never work a day in your life. The same is true with motherhood. Enjoy the journey! It’s time to cherish the children God gave you and the season of life you’re in today. Take the good medicine of joy! Stop wishing for yesterday (or tomorrow) and never forget—you’re still cool.

–Holli Johnson Karrer