Sink or Swim
From September 1, 2012
This is the unabridged version of the story that started it all. My first Rude Awakening Parental Moment, not the first time I experienced a rude awakening, just the first time I documented it.
It happened when Azul and I were taking “parent/child” swimming classes at UNM. We took this class every Saturday morning for five weeks, which meant we had to get dressed in the women’s locker room after class so we could run errands that day. Never a fan of locker rooms, they have always created an uncomfortable feeling for me. But I’m an adult now with a child, so I can be mature about it, right? It can’t be like middle school where everyone is making fun of you, so just get over it!
Well, following our last class, I was toweling myself off as quickly as possible and reminding Azul to keep his eyes to himself. “Mommy, that little boy is getting dressed too,” Azul noticed. “Don’t worry about him, just worry about your own business. I’m almost done and then we’ll get you dressed,” I said in a hurried tone, trying to get dressed while still damp.
There was one other mom from our class with her son getting dressed too. With both of us with our backs to each other, the other little boy said to his mom, “Mommy, your underwear is much longer than hers.” Standing there in my thong underwear and shirt, I kept repeating to myself in my head, “don’t laugh, don’t laugh, don’t laugh.” And it took everything I had not to turn around and look at her granny panties. I don’t ever want to look her in the eyes again. Oh, I’m so glad swim class is over.
Now That’s Sick!
It happens to all of us and now was my turn, I picked up a bug and I am SICK. Not sure if I got it from the gym, lots of people and lots of germs, or at the kid’s birthday party we went to this weekend, lots of kids and lots of germs, none the less I am down. The moment I started to feel that soreness in my throat I was ready to be proactive, with excessive amounts of Vitamin C, spraying Zicam in my mouth, and rest. My family left for the day so I could sleep. Whew! I needed that.
I’m not sure if my low immune system is affecting my emotions, but Azul has said some of the sweetest things to me in my weakened state. He kisses my hand, because he doesn’t want to get too close to me, and every time he does, he asks, “How are you feeling?” and then runs away as fast as he can. Awww…
At one point, he said, “Mommy, if cold wipes out hot, I know what you need!” And he returned to my makeshift wellness center (okay, it’s just my bedroom) with the largest frozen block ice we have (you know, the blue plastic blocks that fit in between your cans to keep them cold in your cooler). Well, now it’s mine, to use for my fever. Thanks! That was some good thinking.
I did venture out to the couch for a few hours. I was just tired of laying in my fever-drenched bed, and Azul told me, “I wish you weren’t sick,” in the sweetest, most empathetic voice you could ever hear. Followed by, “I’m bored and have no one to play with!” Oh, he is so worried about me.
The next morning on his way out to school, he woke me up and again expressed his concern: “Mommy, when you feel better, get up and eat something.” My blurry-eyed reply, “Okay, thank you, my sweet love.” I rolled over in bed. That was sweet, these are the moments that make parenting worthwhile. Now, where is the NyQuil.
Another day of rest for the weary, and that evening when Azul got home, he ran in and asked me, “Are you feeling gooder?” I responded, “Yes, I am feeling better, thanks for asking.” Then he said, “I’m glad you’re feeling gooder.” Yeah it’s worth it!
Buzz Kill
“I’ve decided — I’m going to start drinking when I’m nine!” was the proclamation made by Azul this week, while we were buying beer at Costco. My response, after I let what I had just heard sink in, was, “You what?” I know, profound. But, for the moment, if you can look beyond the fact that he is five and the legal drinking age is twenty-one, his statement did prove some maturity, not hanging out at a bar maturity, but some.
First, “I’ve decided” — that alone means he put some thought into it and didn’t just make some haphazard decision or give in to a whim or peer pressure. For a five year-old, it takes a lot to consider a situation or action and then actually come to a conclusion.
Second, “I’m going to start drinking,” shows he was aware of his surroundings, the beer aisle in Costco, and appropriately brought up a topic related to the moment. Also, I have never been shy of admitting my vices and I am legally old enough to have a drink, so drinking is not a taboo topic in our household. Oh, and by the way, I am a Homebrewer, which means I make my own beer, and Azul has assisted in the brewing process and even made his own root beer. He is not naive about the subject.
Last, “when I’m nine” obviously means that it is something that will happen in the future and not any time soon. And every parent knows how slow time passes for children. If a day in kid thought is like a year, then to be nine has to seem like an eternity away. Actually, if a day equals one year, then in four years, he would be 1,460 years-old give or take a few.
Well, after he repeated his statement, I said, “Thank you for putting some thought into it, but we’ll talk about it when you’re older.” And I directly headed to the liquor aisle. I needed a drink!
Carmelina Hart 