Is That Me On the Screen?

I had a hot date this weekend.

We went to the movies, munched popcorn and even cuddled a little. I paid. And I drove because he doesn’t have his license.

But he was a gentleman and held the door. his manners were polished. And I felt like the luckiest girl in the world.

It’s not often that I get my 10-year-old son all to myself.

I try to schedule one-on-one time with my four kids, but sometimes the impromptu opportunity presents itself and Sunday was one of those moments.

So off we went, to see Diary of A Wimpy Kid: Rodrick Rules.

Now I’ll confess, the book series by the same name hadn’t grabbed my attention, although it kept my three boys in stitches over the years at one time or another. They identified with the characters – a group of preteen boys living in modern day America and dealing with sibling rivalry, peer pressure, quirky parents and girls. And they grooved on the text and comic strip combination of story-telling.

According to my son, the movie is a little different from the books, but the gist is the same. The older brother tortures the younger one and he strives to survive.

Watching it, I suddenly saw that my own boys are not as old as they try to be. They too are struggling with embarrassing moments. And while I know that in my logical brain, it makes a difference when you are watching it on the big screen with your 5th-grader next to you.

But even more than gaining some insight into my own kids, I started to see some of myself onscreen.

I was surprised to see the mother character writes a parenting column for her local paper.

I myself have for years, in various publications, chronicled the cute and even dastardly deeds of my children.

And here this lady was talking about her great parenting skills that prove to be somewhat misguided, right under her nose! Could that be me?

Also, this mom just wants her kids to get along. So much so she devises a plan to force them together. She even pays them with fake money – mom bucks – a method I’ve been known to use too (that and the “you-will-all-write-each-other-a-letter-about-how-you-treasure-your-siblings-or-else-you-will-never-leave-this-room” approach).

She’s also constantly embarrassing her kid with her loving and well-intentioned behavior.

So when I leaned over and asked: “Am I like the mom in the movie?” I was not surprised by the answer.

My wonderful 10-year-old smiled his dimpled smile and rolled his eyes.

“Yes!” he whispered, incredulous that I even had to ask!

“Why?” I inquired further. “Because I write a newspaper column?”

“Yeah, kind of,” he held back.

My twins, 12, had also seen the movie that day for a friend’s birthday. They confirmed my suspicions at dinner that night.

“Am I like that mom in the movie?” I asked again.

These two just laughed. Had it been a movie scene they surely would have spit milk across the table.

“Why?” I asked as I began laughing as well. “Because I’m crazy-weird like her?”

“Yeah,” replied the twin who had stopped laughing long enough to speak. “You pay us in fake money!”

“And you are always trying make us get along,” added the other.

Hey, look at that! At least they are getting the message.

In the end, the mom accidentally forces the two brothers to count on each other for help and couldn’t be more pleased. She gets so into the music at her son’s band competition that she gets up and dances a dorky dance offstage which catches the attention of the audience.

She has no idea they are watching, but I think she may have not cared anyway – at least I know I wouldn’t.

FromMarch 29,2011 Patch.com