"Tracey, will you marry me?" asked CJ, a precocious 8-year-old, who knelt on one knee, holding the bracelet he took off my wrist up to me.
When I kindly declined and said "You're too young for me!" he quickly responded "Tracey, I don't want a kitten, I want a cougar!"
Hey, at least in 20 years when I'm 56 and if I'm still single, I'll have options.
That was just a glimpse of what ended up being a fun, but exhausting weekend spent with kids ages 8-13. CJ was having his First Communion, and I decided to spend the weekend with his family. His mother, Lori, has become like a big sister to me over the years, and she made me the godmother to her daughter, Phoebe, to keep me as "part of the family." Her mom and my mom were best friends, more like sisters as well.
I don't get to see Lori and her family that often, but when I do, I'm surprised as to how much her kids have grown and matured. Phoebe, who is 12, and her sister Katherine, who is almost 14, had me join them in their little gathering on the top of their staircase on Friday night, and showed me all the videos of popular YouTube artists. Most of the guys they have a crush on gained popularity through YouTube, and they are mostly twin brothers, from like Sweden and Venezuela, which when I was their age, I would never have known of, mostly because I didn't have Internet, and also YouTube wasn't invented. And I was also in love with Jason Priestley from "Beverly Hills, 90210."
They showed me a "Sweatshirt" song video by a wannabe Justin Bieber, which they thought was stupid, but coincidentally knew all the lyrics. Then, they showed me a rap video called "Mask Off" by Future, and the lyrics go like this:
Percocets
Molly, Percocets
Percocets
Molly, Percocets
Rep the set
Gotta rep the set
Chase a check
Never chase a bitch
Mask on
Fuck it, mask off
Mask on
"What the hell are you listening too?!" I asked Phoebe, and she just laughed and said "I know, it's stupid, right?" as she rolled her eyes like any pre-teen would about something she thought was dumb.
Boy crazy Katherine continued on about the boys she liked in her class, showing me pictures of them on Snapchat, and she reminded me of myself, but she actually talks to the guys she likes, which I was always too shy to do. When she would tease Phoebe about boys who liked her, she would just brush it off and say "Whatever, I don't like them." She is a very smart girl.
The next day, I awoke on a bunk bed in CJ's room. He barely sleeps in his own bed, so I decided to sleep in his room thinking I would have more privacy. At around 7am, I heard a little boy yelling at his sisters as he burst through his bedroom door. He didn't know I was there, and when I lifted my head up to say "Hey, what's going on?" he froze in a panic, pointed at me and said "I didn't know you were here!" and then screamed and ran out of his room, slamming the door. He reminded me of Macaulay Culkin in "Home Alone."
As I was getting ready in their bathroom in order to let CJ get dressed in his "little man tux" in his bedroom, I heard a little voice say "Hi Tracey," and it was CJ, in a navy blue tux, with a blue bowtie. He looked adorable, and I gave him a compliment which made him blush and smile. He was always a little ladies man, a little flirt, and I joked that he should save that for his wedding.
After the communion, I spent some time alone in the car with Lori and Katherine, and we headed over to pick up CJ's cake at the store. The boy behind the counter was probably a few years older than Katherine, like 16, and it appeared he liked talking to us. He looked very clean-cut, cute, with a nice smile, and a good sense of humor. As we left the store, we all started gushing like teenagers about how cute he was, and Lori told her daughter she should get a job there.
It's fun relating to Katherine in that way. I find her and I have different things in common, mostly make-up and boys. But, then she told me while we were setting-up for her brother's party, "You know why I love you, Tracey? Because you have no filter!". I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm glad she looks up to me in a sort of way most people her age don't understand.
And CJ, according to him, I'm his "back-up" to the love of his life, which right now is his mom. He makes sure to tell me I'm beautiful, compliments me on the way I dress, and acts like a little gentleman. He even shared some of the money he received as a gift for his communion with his sisters. He will make a good husband to one lucky lady one day.
But then again, he loves to share his affinity for the word "shart" and talks about poop and farting, and then likes to twerk against the wall. Yep, he's still an 8-year-old.
The weekend I spent with them was refreshing, Sometimes you need to spend time with kids to realize what is truly important in life. For example, Katherine was really hard on herself after her team lost in volleyball, and she decided she didn't want to go to her school dance that evening. Lori told her "It's all about attitude, and you're making yourself miserable." I can understand that, I do that to myself a lot, and sometimes make excuses to not do things because I think 'I'm not good enough' and if something bad happens, I let it affect my whole attitude. I need to keep myself in check, and not be like a Katherine.
Because last Sunday was Mother's Day, Lori took me to visit my mom's grave, and CJ and Phoebe also wanted to go. It was bittersweet, and it really touched my heart deeply when CJ said "Well, I want to meet Tracey's mom, too!".
Sometimes, you don't know if the path your on in life is the right one. And sometimes, you worry too much about what people think of your decisions, and it makes you hesitant. Spending the weekend with Lori and her family, I was told, though I already knew, to "Not give a shit what people think, Tracey," as Lori said. Spending time with her kids reminded me of just that.
After the communion, I spent some time alone in the car with Lori and Katherine, and we headed over to pick up CJ's cake at the store. The boy behind the counter was probably a few years older than Katherine, like 16, and it appeared he liked talking to us. He looked very clean-cut, cute, with a nice smile, and a good sense of humor. As we left the store, we all started gushing like teenagers about how cute he was, and Lori told her daughter she should get a job there.
It's fun relating to Katherine in that way. I find her and I have different things in common, mostly make-up and boys. But, then she told me while we were setting-up for her brother's party, "You know why I love you, Tracey? Because you have no filter!". I don't know if that's a good or bad thing, but I'm glad she looks up to me in a sort of way most people her age don't understand.
And CJ, according to him, I'm his "back-up" to the love of his life, which right now is his mom. He makes sure to tell me I'm beautiful, compliments me on the way I dress, and acts like a little gentleman. He even shared some of the money he received as a gift for his communion with his sisters. He will make a good husband to one lucky lady one day.
But then again, he loves to share his affinity for the word "shart" and talks about poop and farting, and then likes to twerk against the wall. Yep, he's still an 8-year-old.
The weekend I spent with them was refreshing, Sometimes you need to spend time with kids to realize what is truly important in life. For example, Katherine was really hard on herself after her team lost in volleyball, and she decided she didn't want to go to her school dance that evening. Lori told her "It's all about attitude, and you're making yourself miserable." I can understand that, I do that to myself a lot, and sometimes make excuses to not do things because I think 'I'm not good enough' and if something bad happens, I let it affect my whole attitude. I need to keep myself in check, and not be like a Katherine.
Because last Sunday was Mother's Day, Lori took me to visit my mom's grave, and CJ and Phoebe also wanted to go. It was bittersweet, and it really touched my heart deeply when CJ said "Well, I want to meet Tracey's mom, too!".
Sometimes, you don't know if the path your on in life is the right one. And sometimes, you worry too much about what people think of your decisions, and it makes you hesitant. Spending the weekend with Lori and her family, I was told, though I already knew, to "Not give a shit what people think, Tracey," as Lori said. Spending time with her kids reminded me of just that.
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