Certain times of my mornings are, shall we say.... less observant than others. I'm caught up in the routine of getting ready for my own day, and so maybe am not as focused as I should be on the start of my sons' days. This is neither good nor bad, and is certainly not open for anyone else's judgement calls. What it is, however, is a chance for Bug to stretch his burgeoning powers of sneakiness and brother-cloning.
Mom, can I wear this?
Now, as this boy is 11 years old, this is not something I often hear. Which is why it is guaranteed to catch my attention, and make me poke my head around the bathroom corner. Bug hasn't quite figured this out yet, which is probably the only reason he isn't yet getting away with things. Things like wearing his brother's favorite shirt from the baseball team to school.
I'm a pretty smart mama, if I'm allowed to pat myself on the back for a minute. I know that even though Jock most likely would NEVER have known that Bug wore his shirt (since Bug would have been home from school and changed long before Jock got home from football practice), wearing that shirt would not have been a good idea. Even if I were to wash it, dry it and put it right back where it was found, Jock would know. Somehow, someway, he would KNOW that Bug had been in his room and worn his clothes. So naturally, I told him that no, he could not wear his brother's shirt. I know, I know. I'm a horrible mother.
Poor Bug. All he wants to be in life is Just. Like. Jock. Seriously. He wants to eat like him. He wants to dress like him. He even decided on the time frame for the first girlfriend because it's the same time frame his brother had HIS first girlfriend. Coach and I have no frame of reference for helping him through this; we're both first borns. We know how to torture younger siblings, not how to hero worship an older one.
Jock only makes it worse, you know. Bug might be able to get past thinking that teenager is the coolest thing EVER if Jock just stuck to being obnoxious to him all the time. But no! He has to go and randomly throw in moments where he's (you aren't going to believe this... I witness it and have a hard time believing it!) NICE. Times when, for no reason at all, he'll go out and help with pitching practice or have one of those "big brother" conversations. Obviously, Jock has a master plan to keep everyone guessing as to his true nature.
In the meantime, I'll keep protecting Jock's wardrobe from Bug, and keep encouraging Bug in his choice of role model. On the positive side? Jock quit putting holes in all of his clothes YEARS ago. So when they do get passed down? They'll look just the same as the day Bug first tried to scam them into his closet!
2 comments:
You have a real dilemma, there, staying on your toes with those two.
My youngest came home from his second day of school (Than's 12), telling me about a cute girl who's smacking him on the head all day in class. His question: "Mom, is she flirting with me?"
Oy!
This is a great parenting site. When I get married, I'm going to make sure my wife goes to websites like this one. I have a site myself where anyone can freely express their opinions on controversial debate topics. Check it out when you get the chance and feel free to express your thoughts on any topic. We have some parenting ones in there.
Also, maybe we can exchange links. Let me know if this is possible.
Jason
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