The Power of Mom

My best friend's son is wonderfully smart and inquisitive.

One morning he was watching the news with my BFF and a few clips of children getting their nasal H1N1 vaccination was shown. He told his mother that the nasal spray looked as if it hurt. She explained to him all about the shot, the H1N1 virus and what was happening on the news. But of course, the image of the nasal tube/spray going up the child's nose as well as the child's reaction...was STAMPED in his memory forever.

Mental note for son - check

Mental note for mom - check

Later that day, he and his class were scheduled for a field trip to the petting zoo. Of course this was heaven for a class of five year olds - petting goats, horse rides, endless running space, and last but not least, the infamous blue towers of porta potties. Yes, these dreaded silos of germs can be incredibly enticing to young children. The idea of going to the bathroom, outside - think about it...sounds fun, right?

My BFF watched her son play and was happy to be there as one of the chaperons. She suppressed her urges to wipe him down with sanitizer not knowing her willpower would be greatly tested soon enough.

Her son saw a few of his friends going back and forth to the porta potties. He looked up at my BFF and said, "Mom I need to go to the bathroom." She looked at her son, as all Moms do, and knew he didn't have to go, but would give a heck of a fight to join his friends in the tower of germs.

"Do you really have to go to the bathroom," my friend asked.

"Yes."

"Ok...go on. Get that H1N1. Go ahead."

Immediately, he had a change of heart. "Umm nevermind Mom."

Of course I'm not making light of the seriousness of H1N1 but I thought it was hilarious that he remembered he didn't want anything to do with H1N1 or the nasal spray/shot.

Mom's To Do List
Take son to school
Take son on field trip
Remind son of H1N1 - check!
Pick up cleaning

Folks - a mother's gotta do what a mother's gotta do.


Mickey

Careless Whispers

My dad was driving with my niece in the car. Someone cuts him off and completely forgetting that a human sponge was sitting in a car seat behind him, he calls the driver an "ASS." But knowing my Dad, he didn't say it in quick flash. He said it nice and slow. Kind of like sounding it out but with confidence and extra emphases on the ending "s."

Guess what? My one and a half-year-old niece then says, "A-s-s."

We already think she just short of genius. Her parents spend a lot of time with her teaching her letters and molding her young mind. Here's the kicker: As the aunt whose sole purpose is to spoil, play, tease, and be silly - I called and asked to talk with her. My sister (standing next to her) handed her the phone.

Niece: Hey tee-tee

Mickey: Hey love, I miss you

Niece: I miss you too

Mickey: Did mama tell you what A-S-S was? What's A-S-S?

Clear as day she whispered (with a smile) - assss.


My sister gets on the phone and says "you hear she whispered it because I'm standing here and she knows she's not suppose to say that!"

Somewhere in between she heard us spelling it while talking about her, and like a sponge, picked it up.

Of course now we lend no emotion to it so she emphatically knows not to say it, but I must admit...it was hilarious.

Mickey