I have to brag this once. I am the cool mom this week. Yea, you heard that right… The COOL mom.  

What got me this most glorious, envied and short-lived title every mom longs for? 

I fed my daughter cereal for supper.  

As I poured her fruity pebbles into a disposable bowl, twisted the cap off the milk and handed her the also disposable plastic spoon, she looked up at me and said, “You’re the coolest mom ever.” 

Heck yes, I am! 

What she did not know was that I had not slept the night before because said kid did not want to sleep in her own bed and as she sawed logs all night, I was wide awake with a foot in my back.  

She did not know that I had just endured the longest day of my life that began with an alarm going off that I accidentally set for an hour later than what I was supposed to set it for. She also did not know that I had to rush through every other thing I had to do that day because of that mistake either.  

She did not know that as she cried going into school because she did not want to leave her mommy after a much needed and relaxing three-day weekend, that I also cried too. 

She did not know that I missed my exit on the way to work. She did not know that I spilled my coffee trying to unlock the door once I finally made it there and had to change into a wrinkled shirt that I luckily found stuck in the back of my car.  

She did not know about the never-ending list of things I had to get done that day.  

She did not know that I had to eat a hot dog as I was driving down the road on my way to pick her up from school because I did not have time to sit down and eat today. She also did not know that finally picking her up and seeing her sweet face was the best part of my entire day.  

She did not know that I recommended cereal for supper because I was utterly exhausted, and it was going to take the last bit of energy that I had left to open that jug of milk.  

She did not know that I would stay awake hours after she fell asleep, in my bed again, thanking God for her.

Our kids do not understand what we go through mentally, physically or spiritually in a day and they shouldn’t, but they somehow know when we need to hear that we are doing a decent job at this whole parenting gig.  

That one sentence from her turned the worst day I have had in a while, into one of the best days of my parenting career, right behind the days they were born of course.  

I am a cool mom.  

That will probably change in the morning as I am waking her up for another day of school. She may look at me furiously with her hair standing on end and sleep in her eyes. She may whisper, “You’re the worst mom ever,” as she knocks me over with her rank morning breath.  

That will be okay. I will still be reveling in being the coolest mom alive as I slip on my kitty sweater, holey sweatpants and fuzzy slippers before heading out the door to drop her off.  

Yea, I am still cool, right?

(Paige Nash is a wife, mom, new publisher for Bienville Parish Journal, and digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)