“Chill the Beans”

My daughter likes to tell me to calm down, but she doesn’t use that phrase. She tells me to “chill the beans.” I had no idea where this saying came from. Was it some whimsical cartoon she caught after school? Perhaps one of those Disney or Nickelodeon shows where the kids overact in a way that only connects with young’uns on this side of the screen?

So I asked her, and it has no origin. A unique expression. How fresh.

It’s not the only uncommon tagline she uses. Special things are now referred to as “GOATed.” She let me know this is an acronym for the greatest of all time. She didn’t use the word acronym, but I caught her drift. It’s amusing that greatest is part of the statement, because most of the things that are GOATed in our house are tasty treats, quickly doodled art pieces, and Instagram reels of cats.

At first, I thought these quips were cute. Then, that thing happened that inevitably catches all parents off guard. I started saying them. It began as a call-and-response. A quick “chill the beans” from her would get retorted with a flashy, “no, you cool the legumes.” But then the other night, I used her catchphrase verbatim. I said it organically; no premeditation. What’s worse, it wasn’t even a conversation with my daughter. It was to my wife. We were by ourselves, talking about who knows what, and my head signaled my mouth that “chill the beans” was the most fitting way to express myself.

This caused an immediate snap to past memories. I remembered being on the other side of it. I pondered the first time I heard my parents repeat little isms that my friends and I had invented. As a child, I felt immense pride any time this happened. It seemed I had accomplished something by enticing them to use my language. I thought it signaled some new kind of maturity, like my wisdom was rubbing off on them. In reality, neither of us were more enlightened. But we were having a more joyous time on this planet.

I know this is only the beginning. I’m sure more wacky phraseologies are on their way. I bet more involuntary repeats from my own mouth are bound to happen. And just like those little drawings and notes from your young one wishing you the best day, these too are important. Sometimes the smallest moments remain significant for a lifetime.

The journey of parenting, marriage, and personal improvement is all accompanied by these absurd episodes. And yet, decades later, I can still remember my dad uttering silly little idioms that my sister used to say. So I’m not going to count “the beans” as insignificant. Like Jack, I believe they are very valuable.

This realization is definitely GOATed.