Your Epidermis is Showing

My kids love to hear about what I was like when I was a kid. They love to hear about how I went to sleep-away camp when I was 10 and how I was once the Tomahawk Princess at a summer recreation program. They want to know how old I was when I first saw Goonies and if I was scared. They crack up when I tell them about booby traps I set for my brother and how I would mix up potions and trick him into drinking them.

I love it that they are interested, because as fun as it is for them to hear it, it's even more fun for me to recall it. Just the other day I taught them the old epidermis joke.

I was unloading the dishwasher, and as Lele was talking to me I interrupted, "Le! Oh no. Lele, your epidermis is showing!" I clasped my hand over my mouth snickered a little. Immediately she looked behind her to see if -I don't know- there was a rip in her drawers or something. 

"Huh?" she said.

"Dude! Your epidermis! Quick, run to the bathroom!" I teased.

"My what? Where?"

That old joke is still funny to this day. When I explained it to her, she tried it on everyone we know. I'm sure her teacher appreciated that. The epidermis joke is right up there with "Look under there! Under where?" They love that one too. 

It's fun to walk around quoting my favorite old movies to each other. Like when Lele gets out of the shower and I say in my best Johnny 5 (from Short Circuit) voice, "OOO, Stephanie! You change colors!" or when all three of us are dancing around singing "No Disassemble, no disassemble for me!" to the tune of "More than a Woman".

That's one of the cool things about being a parent. It's a second go-around at playing with PlayDoh Barbershop, LiteBrite and Mr. Potatohead. Watching Annie, Free to be You and Me and Snoopy, Come Home. Playing freeze tag, kickball and hide and seek. Just tonight as I type this I hear Eat it by Weird Al coming from the other room. 

It's a crap-shoot, though. I tried to get them to watch The Last Unicorn. Negative. The Game of Life? Boring. Strawberry Shortcake? Dumb. I'll tell you what, though, in a few years I'm going to force The Cure and The Smiths on them and they WILL LIKE IT, dammit! For now, I'll settle for playing Operation with Schoolhouse Rock! blaring in the background. Maybe I'll see what they think of The Go-Gos next.

Comments

[melissa wills]

Hey I just laughed so hard I cried to all of your latest blog entries. You have to AND I mean have too write a book I love this stuff.