Do you know what Boswash is? I mean, without going and Googling it?
Yeah, me neither. FYI, it's the megalopolis formed by the cities along the east coast from Boston to Washington. Makes sense, I suppose. And although the teacher, not to mention the big geek, in me would think it's pretty cool - no, I am not starting some sort of Fact of the Day thing around here. Really, like I'd keep that up. I bring the Boswash thing up for a reason, and I'll get there in a minute, just bear with me.
Those of you with kids, or kids-to-be (hi, JayJay!) either know or can look forward to those days when your kids are little and you are infallible. You are the smartest, coolest person in the world. The music you like totally rocks. There is nothing you can't do, and nothing you don't know. Your kisses heal wounds, for pete's sake. And everybody also knows that it simply does not last. Somebody lets them in on the secret that parents are actually normal human beings. So not fair.
Lately we've had a spate of what you might call Teenager Moments around here. The thing is, I don't have a teenager. I have a 9-year-old. Fine, he's nearly 10, but still. The other day, I was looking over the tests his teacher had handed back to him, and I noticed that he had gotten a bonus question on one of them right, which was "name five cities along Boswash." So I said, "What's Boswash?" He gave me this look - honestly, "withering" is the only way to describe it - and said, "You don't know Boswash?" (For those of you who don't know Big Brother, he has this deep, kind of monotone voice. Since everything he says already sounds sarcastic, the effect was really just heightened by this.)
And, I took him out to buy a cd (we had a deal involving the breaking of a bad habit - way to go, Big Brother!) and he picked out a cd I had never heard. He picked out something by a Cool Band that his Parents Don't Know. Fall Out Boy, if you wanted to know, and yes, I did look over the lyrics. Because I am not a cool mom. See?
And lastly, take a look at this:
Those are last year's and this year's school pictures. Can you believe that? Fourth grade: crew cut, polo shirt buttoned all the way up, glasses, silly grin. Fifth grade: long hair, no glasses, band tee shirt. What a difference a year makes.
Well, there's the evidence. My oldest son's little-kid-ness is slipping away. It's not completely gone. He still loves those matchbox cars, and the other day, when riding in the car and giggling with his sister he said, "Baby Sister, you're making me laugh too hard. Oh, my guts!" Maybe not a Cool Teenaged thing to say. But here's the best part: he's still a great kid. Whatever that little kid is being replaced with, it may be different, but I think I'll like it.
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