White Devil.
Every Mother’s Day I reflect on the fact that being a mom is absolutely nothing like I had pictured. Frankly, it could not be any further from what I imagined. I visualized taking my children to “Mommy & Me” gatherings while making plans with other mothers to coordinate evenings of wine drinking and Bunko at locations straight out of a Pottery Barn catalog. I envisioned some gossip about the kids who seemed a bit “off” and making fun of the parents who inevitably knew way too much about everything; sharing friendly, fake exchanges and complimenting ridiculously posed family photos. But that cookie-cutter life was not meant for the three of us.
Recently, I was absorbing how different my parenting journey is in comparison to what I had foreseen. I thought to myself how exciting it is that our adventure is not only completely off-course, but how much more colorful and shocking the scenery is as we go. Not only do my children often inappropriately express themselves—inevitably giving others something to talk about—but they also have a beautiful authenticity that allows them to express themselves freely and own it. For example, in the days leading up to Mother’s Day, Sandler requested out of the blue that he would like to wear all black and be referred to as “White Devil” from now on. The fact that his plea did not phase me in the least was telling of how accustom and accepting we are of being different. In fact, we take unique to a whole new level—even down to holiday photos.
Just as we tend to keep things abnormal, we typically end up with interesting photos. I always try to capture them for all holidays; Mother’s Day is no exception. We happened to spend the day before Mother’s Day at the skatepark. Smiles were abundant and the sun was shining; I thought it was the perfect opportunity to catch the essence of the holiday image. The first couple snaps caught at least one of the kids smiling. I thought we had it. Then I accidentally hit the record button and the video captured a smile with a less than appropriate bird (a middle finger) gracing the photo. After scolding the culprit, the photo shoot ended abruptly. I wondered for a brief moment what it was like to have children who could smile simultaneously without yelling an obscenity or flipping the bird for just a few minutes to catch a seemingly perfect moment.
Though I may never know what it is like to seize such moments—we may take unconventional to new levels—but, like most, we enjoy celebrating special days, moments, and holidays. Of course, they may look very different from the suburban Bunko playing families, but we host our own exciting versions. For instance, this holiday weekend I was taking my skateboarding lesson and trying to emulate a very tame version of what Tony Hawk did during his demo. I begged Sandler, I mean, White Devil, to go along with my show. As strange as the display must have appeared, it was my little Mother’s Day treat to myself; much more rewarding and interactive than a card or meaningless gift.
We do our best to live by carpe diem, but most importantly—laugh our way through it.
- Nikki