The other day I came across a picture I hadn’t seen in years. Oh. My. Gosh. Our family had such a good laugh over that one. Never mind that Maddie’s little fingers are digging into Curt’s leg. Forget about Curt’s goofy expression. No matter how hard we tried, we couldn’t look beyond Emily – and the look of sheer terror on that poor girl’s face.

Once I stopped laughing, my mommy brain started over-analyzing the situation. What if we’d made a big mistake? I imagined Emily as a grown woman, lying on a couch and reliving the whole frightening ordeal …

“You see, doctor, when I was a little girl I went on this log ride at the Mall of America. My parents said it would be fun – and I trusted them. But it wasn’t fun. It was absolutely terrifying. From that day on, I never trusted anyone, and every night I have nightmares that I’m plummeting head-first over Niagara Falls.”

Okay, maybe I was over-reacting.

But I was concerned that we had officially ruined our chances of getting that girl on a roller coaster again.

Is it just me, or do most moms feel like this? You know, like one wrong decision will scar our kids for life. At one time or another, haven’t we all secretly wondered if we’re messing up our kids? 

After all, our little angels come into this world with a clean slate. Our job is to mold them into confident, well-adjusted adults. And we feel so ill-equipped for the job.

But here’s the thing. God knew exactly what kind of mom Emily – and Taylor – and Madison would need. I’m amazed (and grateful) that He picked me!

Do you ever feel unqualified for your job as a mom? Well, guess what? God knew you’d be the perfect mom for your kids, too!

He can take our mistakes and work them for His good and glory. (Romans 8:28) Kids will learn from us – and sometimes in spite of us.

And now the good news: We didn’t scar Emily for life – at least with roller coasters. Several years later she talked me into going on the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster at Disney World. In case you’re not familiar, this ride goes from 0 to 60 miles an hour in 2.8 seconds. It’s indoors and mostly dark, so every twist and turn catches you completely off guard.

I’m really glad we didn’t buy those pictures. 

When I look at that picture of my frightened little girl, I am reminded of three important points. God is good. Kids are resilient. And even though parenting is serious business, sometimes you just need to lighten up and laugh. 

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