Every week I write this column from the well-worn shoes of a mother: chasing kids, making snacks, trying not to completely lose my mind when someone spills the milk again! But this week, I’m stepping out of the mom role and into a different one – the daughter.

Last Sunday, I did something I don’t do nearly enough… I took my parents to the movies.

It wasn’t anything elaborate or pre-planned. Just a simple afternoon outing with my mom and dad, you know… the kind of thing that probably happens all the time in sweet Hallmark families. Not ours. We’re busy. I’ve got kids and work, they’ve got grandparent duties and grandkid exhaustion. But somehow, we all ended up in the car, heading to the movies like a regular little trio.

The film of choice? A new horror (and horrified I was!) movie called “Together.” Sounds nice and family-friendly, right?

Let me tell you now… titles are deceptive.

As the movie started, it became very clear (very quickly) that this was not your average light-hearted Sunday matinee. There were language choices. There were subject matters. There were, um… scenes. And there I was, sitting amongst my mother and father, instantly regretting every decision I had ever made in my life, including the one where I got in the car.

But here’s the twist – instead of being mortified the entire time (okay, mildly mortified), my mom and I spent most of the movie giggling. Not at the film, mind you, but at my dad’s reactions.

Every uncomfortable moment was met with a huff, a head shake, or a good old-fashioned “what the hell” from his side of the row. At one point, I thought he might stand up and walk out just to cleanse his spirit. And for some reason, it was hilarious. My mom and I sat there stifling laughter like teenagers in church, elbowing each other every time he dramatically shifted in his seat.

It wasn’t the bonding moment I planned, but it was absolutely the bonding moment we got.

And somewhere in the middle of all that second-hand embarrassment and popcorn, I realized how sweet it was to spend a little time as someone’s daughter again. To hang out with my parents, laugh with my mom and tease my dad mercilessly.

One day, if I’m lucky, my kids will invite me along for a movie. And maybe it’ll be wildly inappropriate and maybe I’ll be the one shifting in my seat and sighing loudly. But I hope they laugh at me the way we laughed at my dad. I hope they don’t mind that I tag along. I hope they remember, even as adults, that time with your parents is still time well spent – even if it’s in the theater, watching a movie no one should’ve watched “together”… (see what I did there?)

So this week, I wasn’t the mom with all the answers. I was just the daughter… who picked the wrong movie but the right company!

(Paige Gurgainers is a mom of three girls, digital journalist for Webster Parish Journal.)