Bozemama’s Most Memorable Parenting Moments of 2012
January 07, 2013
Posted By: Bozemama
I always look forward to those end-of-year lists that pop up everywhere during the transition from one year to the next. Ten Best Celebrity Glutes; Year’s Weirdest Cat Videos; Eight New Reasons to Hate Kim Kardashian.
And so, in the spirit of Letterman, USWeekly and all things listy, I have drafted my own personal record of the parenting moments that stood out most for me in 2012. Here they are, in no particular order:
* Nine-year-old Charlie announces assuredly to a roomful of grownups that he likes whisky but prefers beer and that his favorite beer is Big Sky IPA. (In a cruel twist of fate, IPA is—as far as I know – the only alcoholic beverage I don’t really like. How sad is that?)
* Thirteen-year-old Hermione dives into her role as sous chef for my big brother (one of the best cooks I know) as they worked side-by-side in his kitchen in Lausanne, Switzerland. Decades of living on separate continents has kept my brother and me apart for too long, a fact that strikes me hard as I observe him embrace and nurture my kid in that most sacred familial space of all – the kitchen.
* Finally getting a glimpse at the extraordinary writing abilities of my boy (who is both gifted and learning disabled) while scribing his 25-page book, Karellan , which he dictates to me. He has crafted a brilliant fantasy world filled with fascinating characters. I’m hooked.
* The first truly scary whiff of Hermione’s nasty snake-eyed teenage alter ego as we sit with friends ordering dinner at MacKenzie River. She orders a small salad; I suggest she order more food (because . . . duh); her head spins around 360 degrees, Exorcist -style before her forked tongue emerges to hiss at me, “I sssssaid I want a sssssmall ssssssalad .” Oh. My. God. I am afraid, very, very afraid.
* After I get a new set of rockin’ French girl bangs, Charlie tells me that my new haircut is actually a mullet and that I look like an old lady who’s just trying to look younger. Ouch.
* Watching horrified with heart planted solidly in throat as Hermione’s horse decides to bolt (with my girl on her back, naturally) at Mach 4, forcing Hermione to eventually stop by driving her into the fence. As the mare screeches to a halt, Hermione’s upper body sways parallel to the ground, her hair sailing sideways while her lower body somehow stays rooted to the saddle. Wow. That’s my girl.
* Repelling my ass down 100 feet from the one of the platforms on the Yellowstone Zipline Tour to go save Charlie because he just can’t muster the nerve to take his turn. My arms and hands are a little sore, but they don’t hurt nearly as much as my heart does when I spot my son’s crestfallen tear-stained face, which he keeps turned away from his friends.
* Desperately trying so extremely hard to listen very attentively in the car after school one day as Hermione patiently tells me that I need to stop talking and listen more. Charlie agrees with Hermione.
* Reveling in the sweet, heartfelt embrace that Charlie and Hermione share after they open the lovely Christmas gifts they very carefully chose for each other. This is love.
