5 Embarrassing “Mom Moments” 

As children, we all have memories of when our parents did something embarrassing—whether intentionally, or not. Alas, my own offspring are no exceptions. Here are five stories they still love to torment me with…

Singing in the car – Apparently, my off-key renditions of “Oops, I Did it Again” by Britney Spears or “Light My Fire” by the Doors scarred my sons for life. Yet, even as grown men they’ll occasionally mention how, “Hey Ya” by Outkast (or some other 90s-ish song) remind them of car rides home from school. It’s a touching revelation; I barely remember playing the tunes, but it turns out, my kids were listening.

The Make-up Face — Every woman knows the contortions we make when applying make-up—that squinty mascara look, the exaggerated smile to puff up our cheekbones for blusher, and the infamous lipstick pout. Back then, my kids would laugh at the sight of me looking like a crazed mannequin to apply under-eye concealer. “There goes Mom’s make-up face!” Even today, decades later, I can hear their comments as I’m putting on lipstick and remember their laughs.

The famous “Tipsy” Dance—Most people who know me, know I love a glass (or two) of champagne. However, my most infamous moment occurred 26 years ago during a New Year’s Eve party marking the new millennium. After a little too much bubbly, I grabbed my two sons, ages 10 and 7 and declared, “Dance with me!” They both froze in terror, refusing to budge. This has since become family legend: “Remember when Mom got drunk and tried to make us do the Macarena with her?”

“Here We ARE!” This phrase proceeded every video we filmed during summer vacations. We were fortunate enough one year to take a beautiful Mediterranean cruise when the kids were fourteen and eleven. I couldn’t help myself. Overwhelmed with joy at seeing the leaning tower of Pisa, Majorca, or a bit of Provence, I kicked off every video narration with a chipper, Here we ARE! Many eyes rolled throughout that trip. Now, whenever Patrick records me with his smartphone, he teasingly says, “Here we ARE!” Some things never change.

Calling My Kids by Their Nicknames at Inappropriate Times. “Paulie!” I called to my youngest son Paul, as he walked past me in his high school hallway. Visiting for a meeting, I could see the look of horror on his face as I made this grand faux pas. “Your mother calls you, Paulie?” I can still hear the snickers. Ironically, years later, in Paul’s professional kitchen where he works—a macho environment to say the least—what do they call him? “Paulie.” His name is even written on the schedule that way! Mom’s nickname stuck after all.

Even though these moments may be embarrassing now, they make me realize how much our children truly see us. They still do. Sure, it’s in ways we might wish they hadn’t, but what the heck. We’ve given them funny memories to last a lifetime.

And isn’t that what parents are for?

Do your kids have funny memories of you? Comments are always welcome. If you’d like posts sent to your mailbox, just press here! Thank you for reading.