I’ve
spent more time than usual with my boys over the last couple of weeks. We
missed three days of school after the blizzard called Nemo and the following
week was February school vacation. Most of our time together was great. There
were days that I genuinely missed being a stay-at-home mom. We cooked together,
did crafts, played games, and snuggled up to watch movies. My babies are
growing into smart, interesting, funny kids. I don’t just love them—I really like them.
But
over the course of our time together, I became aware of a very disturbing
secret. My children are growing up
and there is absolutely nothing I can do to stop it. I don’t want them to be
babies forever... but maybe just a little
longer.
A
couple of weeks ago, I was standing outside with Owen. The sunlight, reflecting
off the snow was bright enough to make me squint. In that brilliant lighting,
my aging eyes finally saw something Owen had been telling me about for
weeks—peach fuzz. Right there, under his nose. Incontrovertible proof that my
little boy is growing up.
Last
week, we were running errands. I finally agreed to change the car radio from
NPR to their favorite cheesy pop station.
The song “Hey Ya” by Outkast came on. When the song came to the part,
“Shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture,” Owen said, “This song
sounds inappropriate.”
“Huh?”
I said. “What do you mean? I think he’s just talking about dancing.”
“It
sounds sexual,” said Owen as I nearly lost control of the vehicle and narrowly
avoided careening into a snow bank.
Sexual.
My
ten-year-old said it sounded sexual.
It
probably is.
What else does he
know?
Don’t
answer that. I’m not ready.
I’m
linking up with the wonderful group over at Write on Edge for this week’s Write
at the Merge prompt. We were asked to write a piece inspired by the phrases, “a
snow fall” and “a secret revealed”. It could be fiction or memoir.
"This song sounds inappropriate." I hate to say it, Victoria, but even that sounds like something a grown-up would say!
ReplyDeleteMy heart hurts for the peach fuzz moment but has to smile at his very serious pointing out that a song sounded inappropriate. Hugs.
ReplyDeleteDon't you just want to put a brick on his head? (Am I the only one who says that?) It's so much fun when you can like the children you love so hard, but those "shake it" moments? They squeeze the heart.
ReplyDeleteOh! I so do not want to think about my boy growing up! Peach fuzz? So not ready. This was bittersweet, but beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI loved this! And I know exactly how you feel. My daughter is 17 (17! Pardon me while I have a heart attack!) and I know how unsettling those "peach fuzz" moments can be!
ReplyDeleteI also really liked what you said about not only loving your kids, but really liking them too-I've had that same thought many times.
Now about that “Shake it, shake it, shake it like a Polaroid picture?"
The idea of all that shaking just makes me feel old ;)
He sounds so grown up! I think I was much more clueless at that age. There's no way to slow them down, is there?
ReplyDeleteIn the music video, they actually were shaking Polaroid pictures. How is that song still so large? I remember that song when I was 12. That was more than 10 years ago.
ReplyDelete