I didn’t watch the Superbowl but I did watch Missy perform. My girl did not disappoint. My husband called me into the room to watch by saying “It’s our girl, well our family’s girl,” meaning that it was Missy Elliot who our littlest minion, Hailey, loses all control of composure and produces her own version of twerking when she hears Get Your Freak On. I was then reminded how long I had been a fan when a message came through from my sister from another mister, my college roommate. “I don’t know if you caught that halftime show, but seeing Missy Elliott took me back to college and singing a whole lot of Pass That Dutch!!”

That evening and the following Monday my Facebook feed was filled with millions of mommies gushing over Missy. Commending her on her voice to her bod to her choice of attire. Mommies love Missy. Lindsay Ferrier captured this Missy Mommy Mayhem in her article Missy Elliott Halftime Show: Moms Get Freak On, Teens Freak Out.

I got to thinking, was it Missy that we all love or is it the memories she holds for mommies of my generation?? The freedom of times that her lyrics and voice were the backdrop to our wild nights and youth.  I recall long nights of beer pong and drunken laughter with the friends that I’m bonded with until the day I die with Missy playing in the background. Missy’s songs were the national anthem of every woman, young and old, during the 2000’s. Even my grandma, well into her 70’s, loved Pass that Dutch on her way to play the slots at the casino.

Seeing Missy not only brought back fond memories of crazier times but also a reminder that maybe we, as mommies, need to find more M.I.S.S.Y in our every day lives … Marvelous, Inspiration, Sex appeal, Sass and Young at heart.