Rebecca Eckler is one of Canada's most talked about newspaper columnists, the author of Knocked Up: Confessions of a Hip Mother to Be, which has been translated into nine languages. Also the author of the bestsellers, Wiped!, Toddlers Gone Wild, and Rotten Apple, the first in a YA series. Random thoughts on life in the competitive world of modern mommyhood. Blog will be loved by trendy mothers who still feel, or often feel, that the most important word in "mommee" is ME!

Monday, June 04, 2007

Moving Along....

So I took the Dictator to a birthday party yesterday afternoon.

It was a great birthday party. A princess fairy birthday party where all the kids got to leave with little fairy wings.

After the party, The Dictator and I were walking along when we ran into a friend of mine, who was heading to a nearby park, with her two kids.

So, The Dictator, wearing her fairy wings, and I decided to go along as well.

Now, my friend's little boy was carrying a fishing rod to the park (Because, as parents, we all know that sometimes our kids just refuse to leave the house without certain things.)

The other day, The Dictator refused to go to the grocery store without carrying her stuffed bunny rabbit, her stuffed cat, and her stuffed pony, plus a chapstick - how exactly do their brains work? - all in this Easter basket. I know. I know.

So, they we were. The Dictator wearing fairy wings and the little boy carrying a fishing rod. I said to my friend, "Can you imagine what people are thinking about us right now?"

The truth is, if you're a parent, you simply understand that sometimes your kids just refuse to take off their costumes and need to carry a fishing rod - even though there's not a lake in sight, and it's not Halloween.

For example, Saturday morning I took the Dictator out for pancakes at Phil's (They make good pancakes - if you live in Calgary, you know what Phil's is.)

A little boy walked past the window, at 8:30 a.m., wearing a superman costume. I was like, "Yup. I get that." I didn't find it strange at all.

Kids will be kids, and sometimes kids just feel like wearing a superman costume out of the house, instead of their clothes.

And, I'm pretty sure, for the next week or so anyway, that my little gal will be wearing her fairy wings wherever we go.

20 Comments:

Anonymous Anonymous said...

oh...we've done the superman costume thing many times. too many to count.

and the princess thing too.

we pick out battles. and the costume one is just not worth it :)

11:24 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Maybe I shouldn't compare your sweet little girl to my furry baby...but sometimes my dog insists on taking his toy with him on a walk. It is too cute! I actually like it when he does this because he spends less time sniffing trees and posts and other dogs...
If only my little pookie had angel wings...That would be the best!
J

12:53 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

That's hilarious.

A few weeks ago, I saw not one, but two little boys wearing Superman costumes for no apparent reason (one at a breakfast place and the other at the Y). I thought it was brilliant.

My little boy, who just turned two, hasn't gotten to that stage yet.

When does it usually start?

12:55 PM

 
Blogger Laural Dawn said...

My son has Bob the Builder pj's. He sometimes wants to wear them out, which I am fine with. And, then he puts his bob hard hat on - so he looks just like a mini bob the builder.
So the other day we were walking down the street to the grocery store and these kids (his age) started to shout "mommy, it's bob the builder"!!
They were so excited I told Matt to turn around and wave. And the little one said "Mommy, Bob waved at me."
It was soooo cute. Matt was thrilled, and so was the other kid. But, there are days when he insists on the Bob pj's and bright green crocs and I have to bite my tongue. It looks ridiculous.

5:27 AM

 
Blogger Santi Marie said...

It would have made a good poster. I mean, your baby with her wings and the friend with the fishing rod. "Fishing for Men" the caption says. :-)

Greg

6:06 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I'm totally with you on letting kids wear whatever they want. Aren't there more important battles to fight like the no- throwing-knives-at-the-dog fight?

9:29 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Can you please try using some proper grammar? Your blog entires are very amusing and fun to read, but at the same time they give me quite a headache.

9:32 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Ohh, I'm glad it's not just us. My 3 1/2 year old son wore his Superman costume or Superman pajamas non-stop for two months, just switched back to regular clothes in the last week or so. Grandma didn't approve, but I thought it was harmless and cute.

As a bonus, threatening to take his cape away if he pushed his baby sister again was VERY effective.

2:04 PM

 
Blogger Anna Q said...

Not only has my son left the house in his superman pjs, he's come to work with me in them and even gone to church wearing them! I agree with the other poster... choose your battles wisely!

I only wish I could get away with wearing a costume all day long!

4:40 PM

 
Blogger Unknown said...

I think it is so cute to see kids in outfits that are obviously of their own choosing. I had to buy extra Spiderman PJs for my own little superhero because he likes to wear them so much--they are very much considered day wear here.

I agree with the other posters--with little kids you have to pick your battles and fashion accessories or matching outfits are not ones I choose to fight.

5:27 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

I don't agree that your grammer is bad. Your main problem is you don't know how to use a comma. Look it up.

6:42 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Dragon costume. With suspenders. My then four year old daughter came with my wife and I to attend our six year old daughter's Christmas concert. Nice green, fuzzy, full legged costume with a full tail at the back, and a head at the front with suspenders to keep it all in place. I have rarely enjoyed myself so much, and I daresay neither has she. Sometimes you give in when it just doesn't matter. As I age, I am coming to appreciate the freedom that comes with not giving a fiddler's fart about what the rest of the world thinks. If they had a Dragon costume in my size, I might just wear one myself.

1:13 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Superman isn't that bad. My nephew insists lately on going out fully laden in the Spiderman costume my parents brought him from Florida - MASK AND ALL! But you're right. He loves it, so who am I to be bothered by it? Besides, it's a good conversation starter with a lot of the yummy-mummies at the park.

- JMJ

6:52 AM

 
Blogger Multi-tasking Mommy said...

Yup, been there done that too--a few times! Nemo costume--Disney store--nuff said!

Parenting is all about picking your battles!

5:22 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Walking down the street the other day, I saw two little girls in princess outfits, walking with an older, grandma like figure. The girls were literally prancing along, clearly taking their princessy moment to the max. I just thought, "YA, you go girls!" I truly hope I still feel that way when my eight month old reaches the age when going out dressed like a princess, ballerina, butterfly, rabbit, bumble bee or whatever, is the ultimate experience.

10:17 PM

 
Blogger Blog said...

Hee! Adorable! I know a woman who got sh-- from the school because she was sending her daughter to school in princess costumes. "That's what she wants to wear," the woman told the teacher, "What am I going to do?" Hee.

1:26 PM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Hey, Anonymous Grammar Police, when you slag a blogger for bad grammar, you look less like an asswipe when your own comment is spelled correctly. "Entires"? I hope your headache improves; maybe then you will proof read your comments, especially those that are mean-spirited and meant to embarrass others for their carelessness.

4:07 PM

 
Blogger QueenieCarly said...

My brother (who would kill me if he knew I was posting this for all the internet to read) wore a cape for years (YEARS!) after he was Batman for Hallowe'en. Looking back at photos, it was hysterical!

4:25 PM

 
Blogger Loukia said...

Hey... great blog you have here... I just stumbled across it through someone else's mommy blog. :) I'm also a Canadian mom and I used to work in TV and radio as a reporter and news writer... now I'm still writing, but for the Fed. Gov't... bigger paycheck and sane hours! :)

9:59 AM

 
Anonymous Anonymous said...

Curious about you.

Your point, guessing, is to give us insight - insight into who you are - who you are as a person.

I'm guessing this because you are obviously self aware enough (I think you particularly self aware) to know that the fact you watched your child eat breakfast will be of interest to absolutely no one, including yourself.

In my model of you, you aren't telling us what you are feeling - you are "painting" a picture, for which we, the readers, are, through similar experiences, building a sense of what you must be thinking as the day's events continue.

You pretty much studiously avoid telling us how you feel, and when you break this rule - on your feelings toward the Sopranos, for instance - you present yourself as somewhat conflicted; someone not fully in touch with your feelings - you have to make a decision as to whether or not you liked the finale. For most, you either like ice cream or you don't. For you, it's some kind of internal debate.

The other passage where you put forward your feelings is on eating the kit kats - again you are somewhat conflicted about it.

And I'd again argue your point wasn't that you ate two kit kats (boring) but how you are conflicted about it.

It's just kind of funny to take an "emotional" day off when you so studiously want to appear disassociated from them (even the "I can cry on cue" thought suggests the emotion isn't real.)

So - my model of you, as a writer, is that you want a style where your emotions are disassociated from the events of the day (the reporter in you), and the reader is left to infer your emotions based on how they'd feel in similar circumstances.

Short version - it's you on you; but one of those you's is a reporter.

9:46 AM

 

Post a Comment

<< Home