The Flight of the Minivan

A few weeks ago we had a school holiday assembly, the kind with songs and motions and tiny kids doing their absolute best. My two elementary kids, the kindergartener and the third grader, were performing. And honestly, I should have known better. I’ve been attending these things for eight years, since my oldest was in kindergarten. But somehow… I didn’t.

Somewhere in the chaos of the morning, me making bottles, watching an 8-month-old crawl across the floor, and having two or three other kids talk at me at the same time my third grader casually mentioned, “Hey Mom, you coming to the assembly this morning?”

I heard it. I remember the words. But they did not activate the important part of my brain that says: “Drop everything and GO.”

So around 8:00 AM, I loaded the two youngest my 8-month-old and my 2-year-old into the minivan to take them to daycare. I drove right past the school… and that’s when I saw it. A sea of cars. All the good parents were already parked and inside, waiting patiently to watch their sweet children sing.

Meanwhile, I had two tiny chaos goblins with me. There was no universe in which I was dragging them into an assembly and standing there for an hour just to prevent them from licking the bleachers or bolting onto the stage.

So: daycare first. Then back to school.

By the time I returned, around 8:20, the parking lot looked like Texas Stadium. A car was blocking the entrance. I thought I saw an open spot ahead, but surprise! It was a crosswalk. The car in front of me left, and I backed my little mom-van self right up and parked as close to the curb as humanly possible. Technically legal? Debatable. Worth it? Absolutely.

Then I leapt out and jogged into the school. Got my visitor badge. Booked it down the hallway to the gym, which is conveniently located at the absolute farthest point from the front office.

I burst through the doors, reached for my phone to record whatever performance was happening…and realized my phone was sitting peacefully in the car.

So I just stood there, trying to figure out which group was on stage. And then, miracle: it was my third grader’s class. I got to watch him sing and dance and do the little motions, and then I stayed through the fourth and fifth graders too.

Did I miss my kindergartener’s very first school performance? Yes. Completely. I have no idea what they sang.

But my kindergartener eventually spotted me by the door, because I wasn’t about to shove my way through the “prepared and punctual” parents, and he smiled and waved like I was the best thing he’d ever seen. Later my third grader saw me too, and he did the same.

And since my phone was in the car… there is zero evidence that I wasn’t there for every single moment. So I told my kindergartener he did an amazing job, gave him a huge hug, and we went on with our day.

Mom win? Mom fail? Probably both. But hey, everyone was happy in the end. And sometimes that’s all you need.

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Kristian is a mom of six, Program Manager by day, active Professional Photographer by trade, and a big believer in finding beauty in the everyday chaos.

Life in our house is loud, messy and full of literally everything. Love, noise, laundry, laughter, and definitely could use a bit more grace. I'm happily married to my best friend, grounded in my Catholic faith, and fueled by five to six hours of sleep per night and adrenaline.

I try to find joy in the everyday — even when it's wild, because without the little bit of joy, this life would be unbearable. This space is for the moms in the middle of it all: the ones juggling family, faith, work, and wonder. The ones that need someone else's messy life to make their own seem better or somewhat normal. You're not alone, and you're doing better than you think.

Welcome to Six Sweet Smiles — where we celebrate the mess, the miracles, and everything in between.