My Mom Rides Roller Coasters

I remember when I was about ten or so our church youth group took a trip to Six Flags in Atlanta. My mom was one of the adults who always went on our youth trips. My thirty-something-year-old (yes, she is young!) fanny-pack wearing mama was going to Six Flags. I had never been before, and was kind of nervous. Would I fall out? What if the thing gets stuck? What if the seatbelt comes loose? I will never forget as long as I live just how scared I was as our group walked up to "The Ninja." I almost puked as we snaked through the lines and up to the platform. Just before picking the seat we wanted, my mom grabbed my hand and pulled me in with her. I was shaking from head to toe. She buckled us in and pulled down the shoulder harnesses. I was too scared to even move. I don't think I took a breath the whole way up the hill. Noticing this, mom reached over, grabbed my hand and with a smile said "Don't be scared Kaylabell!" When the ride was over I was so thankful. Mostly that it was over, but also thankful that I had a mom who didn't want me to be afraid. I remember that it banged her head around so much that it made her earrings poke her head and she was bleeding. Still, I was in awe. I have the coolest mom ever. My mom rides roller coasters.

We rode others that day- The Scream Machine,  Batman, Mindbender...but I will never forget how I thought my mom was SO cool. And by default, that made ME cool. It still makes me laugh that she and my dad have season passes to Dollywood, and that she rides the roller coasters there too.

In my short twenty-eight years, my mom and I have been on many other roller coasters together. She was on the "Overly-dramatic Middle School Hormones" one with me, bless her heart. She was the first person I told when I was accepted to college. Even though she didn't understand at times, she was on one with me all throughout college, and I'm sure she was SO happy when it was over, just as happy as I was getting off "The Ninja". She was the first person I called when I got my first teaching job, and I know she was excited to get off the "Teaching Job Hunt" ride I dragged her on every once in a while. She was on one with me the day Jack and I bought our first home. A really fun one was the day we told her we had eloped. That one really thrilled her. She loves to ride the "Dance Party" one. My mama absolutely loves to dance. Is she good at it? Not really. But she has a good time, and that's all that matters. The "30 Years of Marriage" one is probably her favorite. I know she LOVES being on that one with my Dad.



There were some that I liked more than she probably did. The "Let's Move to Nashville (With One Week's Notice)" one was pretty surprising and unexpected for her. Regardless, she hopped right on it with me. Then there was the "Kayla Ran Away...to Hawaii" one. That one nearly made her heart stop.



We've been on some super fun rides, but we've also been on some not so fun ones, and even some down right scary ones. Mom, do you remember that ride called "Rebellion"? That one was scary for me too, because I wasn't sure where it was going or when it would end. Remember "The Eating Disorder"? Lord you prayed us BOTH through that bumpy ride. The ones called "Heart Break" and "Depression" were pretty bad too. You didn't know how to fix that, and I'm sure as a mom it was hard to watch me on those, especially the times I had to ride it alone.Those were rough, and jerked us both around pretty hard. Thank you for riding those with me when you could.

Probably the scariest one I ever pulled you on was the one called "Ugly Divorce". That unfamiliar, unpredictable ride was the  worst one I've ever asked you to ride with me. You'd never been on one like that before, nor will you ever be again, trust me. Daddy has always been so good to you, has never laid a hand on you, or talked ugly to you. This, this was scary for us both. But I was so thankful that you reached over, buckled my seatbelt, pulled down my shoulder harness, and told me over and over, "Don't be scared Kaylabell!"  And even though I was scared, we still made it through. We got off that terrible ride, never ever to get back on.  You didn't have to ride that one with me, but you did. You didn't have to ride any of them with me, but we rode them all together, and so far, we've made it through every one. We haven't fallen out, we HAVE been stuck at times, but we always made it to the end together. Because YOU are the cool mom who rides roller coasters.