Mom is a Genius

by Kim Cusimano

Necessity may be the mother of invention, but ingenuity is the bombshell of success. ~Philip Gary Smith

When my children were younger, I loved the hunt for quality toys and name-brand clothing at garage sales. You might say I was thrifty—but with a touch of class.

One morning I walked my kindergarten son to the elementary school just a block from our home when I saw a familiar sign on the next corner—yes, it was a garage sale just a short distance past the school—a Friday morning treat. I hurried home with the two toddlers in tow, loaded them in the car, and got them dropped off at preschool.

When I arrived home, I didn’t see a need to drive the car such a short distance to the sale, only to jockey for a parking spot. It was a beautiful day, and walking would be good exercise.

Then I made my second trip down the street for the morning, alone this time, anticipating the treasures I would find. As it turned out, no children’s items were there. The options were mostly housewares and furniture. I looked around and quickly noticed the “find.” I had been on the lookout for a different couch for our den. The price was right, but I didn’t have a truck to transport it to our house. I certainly didn’t want to miss the opportunity for a piece of furniture that would fit our space and budget so perfectly.

I immediately paid in full, determined I could find a friend with a truck to help me. The friendly people agreed to hold my purchase. I walked back home, wondering who I could call. Entering through the side garage door, I noticed our children’s wagon—and I had an epiphany. If I could get the couch centered and balanced on top of the wagon, I was convinced it would be easy to pull it down the street and get it back to our house without additional assistance.

I wasted no time. The idea and thrill of being able to do it myself were gratifying. My heart was racing as I embraced the significance of the moment:

I am Mom. Hear me roar!

Have wagon will conquer.

Moms are creative geniuses.

I saw the bewilderment on the faces of people in the yard when I pulled the wagon up and said, “I’m here to pick up the couch. If someone could please help me lift it and center the wagon under it, I think this mode of transportation will work.” One gentleman groaned and reluctantly helped me lift the heavy purchase and center it over the wagon.

So off I went on my third trip of the day down the same street—this time pulling a wagon with a very sizable piece of furniture on top of it. By now, it was late morning, and there wasn’t much activity on the street. I felt confident I could get home without much of a scene.

A few paces later, I heard children playing. As I came alongside the chain-link fence surrounding the elementary school playground, I realized all the kindergarten classes, including my son and his teacher, were outside for recess.

My son’s teacher, along with the other educators supervising the playground, had responses that included a mixture of humorous facial expressions and “You, go Girl!” types of cheering. My internal dialogue was a unique combination of embarrassment, confidence, and determination.

Don’t be embarrassed. Just smile and own this moment.

Those teachers aren’t laughing at you—they’re laughing with you.

My son’s friends will know he has a very creative mother.

Now that you’ve waved back at the teachers, keep looking straight ahead.

We had that piece of furniture for many years. However, the story of my successful delivery of the yard sale bargain has far outlived the couch. Often, when our children would say they couldn’t do something or they wanted to give up on a difficult task, I would remind them of that incident.

I’ve told them in recent years that if my engineering feat hadn’t been just a few years shy of smartphones, their mom would have had her own viral moment. Many people would be moving furniture with children’s wagons. Unsurprisingly, they feel grateful that there is no social media proof of my accomplishment. I, on the other hand, am still a little sad about that.

God graciously gives us our creative, unique, and capable minds. It must delight Him to see us using our abilities to solve problems. I never again looked at that wagon in the same way. It always reminded me of my determination and God-given ability to come up with innovative solutions.

I praise you, for I am fearfully and wonderfully made. Wonderful are your works; my soul knows it very well.

Psalm 139:14 ESV