Sweet Caroline started tearing up at home this morning.
I used my one superpower (which is distraction. I can distract with the best of them) to help her hold it together until we got in the car.
I frantically whispered a prayer as I walked around the car to get in the drivers seat… “Lord help me. Lord help her!”.
As I backed out of the garage, I heard a little quivery voice “Mama?? Can we listen to bad music and drive slow with the windows down?” (She is of the opinion that I have poor taste in music. Too bad she’s WRONG.)
I smiled. “You WANT to do that?”
“Yes Mama.” She nodded.
“Ok Baby. But today instead of driving slow with rap music, we are driving FAST with ROCK music”
She giggled. “Why”
I answered “Because THAT is how my crazy is leaning this morning”
So I cranked it up (to a safe decibel level – remember I have a crappy sound system in the mom-car) And drove FAST. (Aka, the speed limit)
I looked back. She was doing the dance I showed her last week on the way to school. To the song Born to be wild.
“Mama! Shoulder, other shoulder and shake it!”
So I joined in. And we shook it. We sang. We tossed our hair.
ALL the way to her school.
She laughed the whole way.
It was almost as invigorating as coffee. Almost.
A schoolbus turned in by us at the stop sign. I turned UP the Whitesnake on the radio, rolled DOWN the windows and me and my reserved, appropriate child waved and cheered at the kids on the bus. A few waved and cheered back.
As we turned onto the road her school is on, a slow rock ballad came on. So I changed the station and it was 2-Pac Keep Ya Head Up YES I know he is/was not in any way, shape or form a role model for children. The hook of the song goes like this
Keep ya head up, ooh child
Things are gonna get easier
Keep ya head up, ooh child
Things’ll get brighter
Keep ya head up, ooh child
Things are gonna get easier
Keep ya head up, ooh child
Things’ll get brighter
So those are the words my kid was singing as we drove up to the school.
As we went in the classroom we saw the teacher had laid out each student’s name on their assigned desks to copy and work on handwriting.
To keep Caroline’s jovial mood going I turned to her, and a little too loudly and a touch dramatically said “LOOK! You get to pick out a new name today! Which one do you like best?!!”
Caroline laughed “NO Mama! We each find our OWN name!”
Me as I pointed to a random desk “Are you SURE???! This name here is beautiful! Do you want to trade names?”
She giggled and asked for a kiss. So again today, I blew a big, wet, loud raspberry on her little dimpled cheek.
She trotted to her REAL desk, and started on her work. “Have a good day Mama! Please be good!”
“Have a good day baby! Have a lot of fun! Don’t work too hard!”
As I walked to the car, I realized that God had answered my desperate whispered prayer this morning…and he used 2-Pac to do it. And that thought made me laugh out loud. The parents entering the school looked at me. So I waved to them and grinned. I think its safe to say I’ve cemented my status as the crazy parent of the kindergarten.
But today, the crazy kindergarten mom is what my girl needed. And it just so happens that THAT is exactly how I was made.
There have been many, many times I have wished I had a more subdued outlook on life. That I was quiet, meek and full of sweetness and grace. But today, I am incredibly thankful that by nature I am NOT those things. Perhaps when God made me, he had this exact moment in mind. And that has had me smiling all morning.
I’m starting this week full of gratitude for the things I don’t control. I am also appreciative of the chance to bond with my little “Type A / perfectionist” daughter.
Have a fantastic Monday friends.
Between Three Waters 