From the Rearview Mirror to The Passenger Seat - In the Blink of an Eye

From the moment you announce your pregnancy, advice and anecdotes flood in. It can be as overwhelming as those ten minutes you thought you had before leaving for baseball practice on a Monday—dinner still not done in the crockpot, after a full day's work—evaporating, leaving you late.

But even as I think back to those moments, when advice was plentiful, I can’t seem to place anyone ever telling me about the moment when you are no longer looking in the rear view mirror. When you are no longer wondering if that sweet baby is okay nestled in her infant car seat to her sitting right beside you in the passenger seat.

I know, everyone says it, but this moment came so incredibly fast. I glance in my rearview mirror again and can still see her carefully placed backwards in her infant seat, kicking her legs, staring at herself in the infant mirror. Then just like that, she begins a conversation, sitting right beside me, in the passenger seat.

On this particular day, we're heading home from Mom Cheer Team practice. (And yes, the mom guilt is real, my friends! For the second year in a row, I've been guilted into learning a full cheer, dance routine, and stunts. All of it just to see my daughter smile as we cheer moms perform during the annual showcase for her competition cheer team.)

On this night,my daughter shared her thoughts on my performance during practice. She praised my efforts with the parent cheer team—an activity I reluctantly joined—highlighting my excellent work. Of course, this was followed by a few pointers to improve my less-than-perfect high V. On this particular evening, a simple ten-minute drive home evoked a profound emotional response. My little girl isn't so little anymore. She's graduated from the backseat to the passenger seat, my proverbial sidekick forever. She has blossomed into a young woman who understands the importance of uplifting others and to say that I’m proud, is an understatement.

How did we get here? I am no longer looking in my rear view mirror but rather looking at a reflection of all of the moments we have spent together. The struggles, the coaching, the love, the praise reflecting right back at me.

So here is your little reminder today, in this crazy busy world we live in, take a minute to not just look in the rear view mirror, but look at what is sitting right beside you, in the passenger seat. It may just be the best gift of all.

What are some of your favorite memories of your little ones growing into themselves?

Susan Soler