Could This Child Really Be Mine?

Is that my son dancing?

SJ showing his finest moves on the dance floor.

Did you ever look at your child and think to you yourself, he/she is just like me?

Of course you have. And in many ways, it’s kind of cool. And not narcissistic.

Today was not one of those days.

My wife and I are both on the shy side. We are not in your face sort of people. Let others have the spotlight. We’ll be fine to chill off to the side in small groups.

This weekend we attended a family bar mitzvah of my little cousin, GR. He’s a good kid with a nice sense of humor and positive disposition. My wife and I had a lot of fun at the bar mitzvah. We got to catch up with family, enjoy some tasty food, and share the joy with GR and his parents.

The day was about GR, but SJ, my soon to be 7-year-old nearly stole the show.

He was everywhere.

Prior to the buffet, speeches were being given. SJ was not interested. He stealthily went to the corner station (which was not even manned yet) to fill his plate up with noodles. As I have mentioned in the past, he does nothing stealthily. I was embarrassed to walk over before the buffet even started. SJ was oblivious.

Then, there was the open bar. Before the event was 30 minutes old, the bartender knew his drink – a coca cola. SJ eventually got cut off. Apparently, 11 cokes is the limit for a 6-year-old (no wonder why he could not shut up on the way home). I had one.

He owned the dance floor. John Travolta Jr.

From the moment people were encouraged to come up and dance, he was at it. I danced the hora and spun him around a couple of times and then was done. Not SJ.

Even when most people had settled down to eat, he was still busting a groove. At one point, the DJ called him out.

Later, SJ ended up in a bathroom stall totally undressed.

SJ started rambling on about the toilet paper. “It fell and rolled away, so I had to go get it.”

“Wait. You went out of the stall to get the toilet paper while you were totally naked?”

“Uh-huh.”

I was shaking my head – mortified, “Oh my G-d. Did anyone see you?”

“No.”

As I was getting him dressed in the stall, another person walked into the bathroom.

SJ called out, “Hey is someone there? What’s your name?”

“You can’t do that,” I told him.

“What? I’m just trying to be friendly.”

“I know, but it’s not nice to talk to someone like that while they’re going to the bathroom.”

Where did this crazy outgoing party boy come from?

24 thoughts on “Could This Child Really Be Mine?

  1. I don’t know, Larry. I say it takes a bit of crazy gutsy-ness to spill your guts in a public blog. So, maybe the apple hasn’t fallen too far from the tree. I love SJ’s confidence!

    We recently attended a wedding. The DJ played “Billie Jean” and the crowd encircled my 23-yr-old son on the dance floor as he was doing these amazing Michael Jackson moves. My husband and I looked at each other in bewilderment, “When did he learn that?”

    • Good point. But that seems less out there – maybe cause I actually do it.
      I think SJ seems like he is related to your son.

      • For a second I thought about asking to rent him too, but then I realized that I don’t have enough energy to keep up with him. But maybe if I had 11 Cokes of my own we would be on even ground.

  2. Well…SJ certainly knows how to enjoy himself and good for him. He is still a kid. These years of freedom are not coming back. I know it’s hard for you but I would suggest you let him be, embrace his free spirit!

    • He really does know how to enjoy himself. I do let him be. I even find it funny even if I am a bit embarrassed sometimes.

  3. Rock on SJ!!! I love that he doesn’t feel the pressure, the embarrassment, that his goal is to have fun! So love that you are raising him to have that freedom, that you aren’t stealing his joy! Love this! Not a lot of parents could withstand it – they’d be sooo embarrassed that it was their child acting like that and want to call them back and not let them enjoy. Love that you guys just let him have some fun!

    • I am a bit embarrassed but not enough to stop him. Truthfully, when he was dancing, I watched alot of it with a big smile on his face. It was funny. He’s a little ham.

  4. What a smooth operator!

    (From my mobile I cannot view your blog at all…and this morning from my desktop the password was filled out asking me to copy it into the box oXH119XTDWBm. I’ve never seen that before on any blog) I still read though!

    • He really is.
      I don’t know what is going on with the blog. I have never had anyone tell me that before. I wish I was a techie.

  5. We were in a Bat Mitzvah last year, and I was sitting with the adults. After a while, I went looking for my 5-year-old boy in the dancing area but couldn’t find him. Then I heard the DJ say, “We have a little guy here. He has no sense of rhythm, but he’s having a great time!!!”

    And sure enough, my shy boy is dancing in the middle of a circle, surrounded by 13-year-old girls.

  6. OMG, that is so funny. “Busting a groove” — priceless. Did you ever discover why he was undressed in the stall? The TP story just does not explain it AT ALL.

    He sounds like a hoot. You sound like you have your hands full!

    • Even at home, he undresses to an extent. I guess he got excited and went a little further. He’s a nut – but a lot of fun!
      Thanks for stopping by.

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