Trolls, Mud, and a Golden Rabbit: A Parenting Adventure Worth Laughing About

There are moments in parenting when you feel like a total failure… and then there are moments when you feel like you deserve a standing ovation. Today? Award-winning performance, hands down. 😂

For the last year, I’ve seen pictures of the large wooden trolls hidden around Detroit Lakes. It’s a full-on scavenger hunt—find all five trolls and then locate the elusive Golden Rabbit. I had been wanting to take my girls on this adventure, and with a cloudy day at the camper, it was finally the perfect opportunity.

Of course, true to our summer rhythm, each daughter took her turn riding the attitude train. One had a cold. The other didn’t realize how much walking would be involved and wore flip-flops.

By the time we reached troll number 5, my oldest was striding ahead while I hung back with the 8-year-old. It had rained overnight, and we were dodging puddles—until the 8-year-old decided it would be “fun” to walk through one. You guessed it—she slipped and fell straight into the mud.

I swooped in with lightning speed to get her back on her feet. Mud on her hands, her legs, her shorts—it looked like she had soiled herself. Lovely.

Somehow, I managed to stay calm and talk her through the tears and embarrassment. We were halfway to our final troll—no way were we turning back now! We snapped a few quick photos, then made a beeline for an emergency Walmart run. I grabbed wet wipes and two pairs of shorts and gave her a full wet wipe bath in the car.

I can’t reveal the Golden Rabbit’s location—but I can tell you that Walmart was definitely NOT on the way. So, back on the hunt we went.

We weren’t exactly sure where the rabbit was hidden, and it took some patience (and deep breaths) to redirect the 14-year-old’s hot, sore-footed flip-flop frustration into focused rabbit hunting. Eventually, we found the right trail. She marched ahead while I strolled behind with the 8-year-old. By now, the sun was out, the humidity had arrived, and we were climbing hills.

Just as the 8-year-old and I spotted the rabbit’s ears, the 14-year-old came trudging back and said, “I need the car keys.”

“What? We need a picture!”

She informed me she too had fallen in the mud. And at that moment, my gratitude list grew by one: Thank you, Jesus, that I bought TWO pairs of shorts at Walmart.

The 8-year-old and I finished our mission, snapped a photo with the Golden Rabbit, and returned to the car—where the 14-year-old was still cleaning mud out of places we shall not speak of.

We sat in the car, laughed until we cried, and rewarded ourselves with coffee and ice cream.

“She is clothed with strength and dignity; she can laugh at the days to come.” — Proverbs 31:25

Some days, parenting feels like a mess—literally and figuratively. But even in the mud, the attitudes, the detours, and the chaos, there’s joy to be found. And laughter? It might just be the best parenting tool of all.