Why aunties are embarassing
We had a couple of fun events recently with the 9-year-old next door. He’s getting to that age where we can tell he’s just at the edge of beginning to hate us. I’m not an expert on kids but I thought they waited until they were about 13 to realize that their auntie and family is way less cool than anyone else on the planet.
I thought our coolness deficiency directly corresponded with the moment a kid got his first pimple.
But Leif is beginning to develop just the littlest hint of disdain.
He kinda makes a fuss recently when we ask him to take off his shoes and stand in the doorway of the kitchen so we can mark on the wall how much he has grown.
So it’s been important for us to linger as long as we can to his childhood.
Recently there was an open house at school and it was fun to see his classroom and the cool watercolor rendition of Monet at this desk. He also made a really cool diorama of the Harry Potter Quidditch match.
Then Tuesday he had a choral recital. I hadn’t even realized he was in chorus.
I think when we first walked into the school cafeteria and Leify saw us he was glad. But of course we couldn’t leave it at that.
Our neighbor Curious George is in the choir at Chico State so he came as well. Leif’s mom wanted photos of the event, so I volunteered to take the camera up to the front of the stage and click away.
Then there was the waving by Tommy and I while the kid performed. Leif pretended he didn’t notice.
When we stuck out our tongues and waved both hands by our ears, I’m sure his mind convinced him that we were invisible.
But then, Tommy took it over the top. When there was a silence in the room after the singing had stopped, Tommy yelled out “Way to go Leif.”
Mind you, we weren’t the only family members to yell out embarrassing praise. However, I do think we were the ones who started it.
And Leify is just lucky Tommy yelled out “Leif” and not “Leify.”
After the concert, when we got home, Leif wouldn’t talk to us. He said he was really, really mad at Tommy for embarrassing him.
At our house there’s really only one way to fight back when someone is being a pill, and that’s tickling.
It didn’t take long for Leif to forget he was mad.
Too bad all problems aren’t as easy to solve, and too bad the 9-year-old will someday get that pimple and officially hate us. Hopefully, however, he will always remember us as those crazy people who lived next door.