At Least Your Mom Loves You

Did you ever do something you knew you probably shouldn't, but in the end threw all caution to the wind?

After school yesterday, my friend and I went down to the bus stop to wait for our boys after their first day of Middle School.  Of course we were anxious to hear all about how it went.

She brought her camera along to snap a picture of her son getting off the bus.  And this was roughly our conversation:

Me:  You’re really going to take a picture of him in front of a busload of high school students?

Her:  Sure! Why not?

Me:  Won’t he be embarrassed?

Her:  My son?  NO WAY.  He’ll be striking up poses!

Me:  Are you sure?

Her:  Ye-e-es.

Me:  You could just kind of hold the camera up at the dash board and do it discreetly from in here.

Her:  No WAY.  I’m hopping out and standing right there in the middle of the road.

Me:  I don’t know if I could do that.  B—would kill me!  (I eye my camera between the seats.)

A bus comes down the road, and she hops out of the car.  It turns out to be a false alarm and the bus rolls by.  We giggle, and she sits back down.

Me:  All right.  I’ll get my camera out.  After all, I do have to document that he survived his first day, right??  

I pick up my camera and turn it on, still wondering how much trouble I’ll be in.

Second thoughts roll through my mind as the next wrong bus rolls on by.  As we lean against the back of the car, I turn around and put my camera back inside through an open window.

Finally, we see the RIGHT bus coming (it’s going much slower and has its hazards on.)  The lights begin flashing as it nears our road. 

My friend jumps up, takes her position, and gets ready to snap her pictures. 

I hesitate.  Do I?  Don’t I?  Do I??  Don’t I?? 

The boys are walking towards the front of the bus, about to come down the steps.  Still caught in indecision, I lurch for my camera…but hang back.

My friend, in all her glorious boldness, is right out there, taking pictures.

STILL, I hesitate.  Do I?  Don’t I?  Do I?  Don’t I?  The photo-op is slipping by fast. 

My son steps down and, upon seeing the trap, immediately separates himself from the pack of kids getting off.  He walks WAY WAY out to the side, pretending he doesn’t know us and avoiding the view of my friend’s camera.

In a split second decision where I realized my friend wouldn’t even have him in her pictures for me to copy later, I raise my camera and start snapping away.

As he approaches the car, my son speaks low and through his teeth in an amazingly clear voice.

 B—:  “Mother, there are High Schoolers on that bus and they are watching! 

Me:  There are? (in my most innocent voice).

B—:  YES!!!

ME:  I’m sorry, I didn’t embarrass you, did I?

B—:  No, you only embarrassed yourself.  Your lens cap is still on!

Me:  Oh, shoot!  (We all burst out laughing.)

So.  Here is a picture of us looking to see what my friend caught on her camera.  Lol!

The boys were groaning at the grief they would catch on their next bus ride if anyone WAS watching…

Me:  Just tell them, “At least my mom LOVES me.”

B—:  No, I’ll just say I don’t know who that lady was.

So what have you done lately to embarrass your child?  And, at what age do they stop denying they know you?

Just wondering. 

Only slightly redeeming was the fact that the map I made for him of the school came in PRETTY DOGGONE HANDY.  Yes it did.