The Kid Smile

I asked my middle child, who turns 10 next week, to come with me to Bluejack National. I wanted her help with a new business my wife and I are starting. I told her we'd work for a little while and then do something fun—maybe take the golf cart over to the putting green and play a game of putt-putt.

She was all in.

We went, we worked, and before long, we were free.

While we were working, she spotted a bigger, faster electric scooter that belonged to my brother-in-law. She asked if she could ride it to the putting green.

I told her yes, but with one condition.

"This one is a little faster than what you're used to, so I want you to ride it around out front for a bit before we head all the way to the clubhouse."

The clubhouse is less than a mile away, but the path has a few hills, and this scooter was definitely a step up from anything she had ridden before. I wanted her to get comfortable with it first.

She hopped on and immediately lit up.

"I’m a little nervous," she said.

"But excited too."

I think these are the moments when kids feel like they're stepping into new territory. Their heart starts racing, the adrenaline kicks in, and suddenly they want to do the thing even more. It's scary and exciting all at the same time.

She rode around for a few minutes—very slowly, I might add—but she started getting the feel for it. After I sent her all the way down the street and back, she pulled up and confidently said:

"I'm ready."

Off we went.

I climbed into the golf cart and started slowly in front of her. Then the moment came.

We turned onto the open road, and I accelerated as fast as the golf cart would go. She was right behind me on that scooter.

I turned around to check on her, and what I saw was one of the greatest things I've witnessed in a long time.

It was the Kid Smile.

You know the one.

The smile from that moment when you feel like you're flying.

The smile that comes with freedom.

The smile that says, "I am having so much fun right now that I can hardly contain it."

The smile that happens when you're doing something with your mom or dad that you've never done before, and it feels like the greatest thing in the world.

It's the kind of smile that can light up an entire room.

The kind of smile that can't be hidden.

Sometimes it even turns into a giggle because you're smiling so big.

I LOVED that moment.

It was unprovoked, genuine, and overflowing with joy.

I only got to witness it because I happened to turn around at exactly the right time.

Pure joy.

Moments like that make me believe God allows us parents to see these glimpses for a reason.

First, to remind us that we're doing something right. That spending one-on-one time with our children matters. That these moments fill their love bucket in ways we may never fully understand.

Second, to remind us that He is real and that His timing is perfect. He reveals blessings at exactly the right moment, and sometimes the reward is far greater than we ever expected.

And third, to remind us what truly matters.

These are the moments worth living for.

These are the memories our kids will carry with them.

Even in the middle of the hard. Even when work needs to be done. Even when life feels busy.

Make time to be free.

Make time to let loose.

And every now and then, smile the Kid Smile with your kids.

I know I smiled huge when I saw her.

And honestly, I'm smiling now as I write this.

It still warms my heart.

Thank You, Lord Jesus, for this moment.

Thank You for these blessings.

May we live and experience many more moments like this in the years to come.

In Your great and mighty name, Amen.

Have a fantastic and blessed day, everyone.

Joel | The Dad Way