{revenge of the nerdy mom}

This morning was big. I mean, monumental. I actually had the chance to get cleaned up (code for "brush my teeth"), get dressed (change out of my pjs), and go out on the town (the grocery store) for awhile. It was life changing. Jason is on a small break before starting summer school this coming Monday, so I was able to put Ave down for his nap & leave him at home. And leave the apartment. By myself.

It was exhilarating. I could hardly contain myself; I felt like a teenager sneaking out in the middle of the night to go tee-pee someone's house. I think I frightened some of the Dominicks employees with my eagerness to find Greek salad.

And...that's about as far as the teenager-analogy goes. I had to laugh at myself, because I used to NEVER leave the house unless I looked like I just stepped out of Seventeen, even if I was only running an errand. And I always had music on in the car, full blast, while talking on my cell phone. Today, I felt dressed up in a t-shirt and shorts, was excited to leave my phone at home, and wished the car ride was longer so I could finish listening to the story on NPR.

It made me wonder what kind of things Avram will consider dorky when he's a teenager. I know a lot of people my age who want their kids to grow up with land to roam, to take music lessons, to not have video games. They want their kids to be aware of the environment, of different cultures; they feel they somehow missed out on these things during their own childhoods.

I had to laugh because I often picture myself over the course of the next up-teen years as a parent, doing all the right things, molding Avram into this incredibily-interesting-and-intelligent-but-well-rounded-and-not-snobby individual: which, of course, means teaching him French & how to take pictures, identify trees, & play about 6 different instruments, going on camping trips, & not letting him watch TV. But obviously still enrolling him in public school so he doesn't become a social invalid. We just won't push sports like our parents did, you know, because athletes aren't cultured or deep-thinkers and don't grow up to be anything cool like movie producers or Peace Corps members or indie rock singers.

I know that inevitably there will be some things that he will wish I taught him, and some things I did teach him that he will consider super nerdy or irrelevant. Who knows, maybe he'll look at me thirty years from now and say, "Geez, Mom, how could you not think ice fishing would have been something I needed for my future? What were you thinking with mandolin lessons? I mean, come on."