Sunday, January 25, 2009

Parents of the Year

WARNING: This post contains content you are not accustomed to being subjected to on this blog. Please make sure your children under 13 are not reading over your shoulder.

All-righty folks. Here is how Chris and I have moved to the front-runners as Parents of the Year for 2009.

We are all in the living room last night just hanging out. Chris was working on the message on his laptop. I was snuggled up next to him with Coleman in my lap. Casey and Cody were under blankets on the other couch and on the floor next to the fire. I think we were watching the final moments of the Miss America pageant live. This is where the heartwarming part of this story ends.

Casey, our 10 year old, gets up and walks over to where we are sitting and says "Oh, I have a joke!" We look over at him and he begins...

"A boy and his dad were in the shower and the boy pointed at the dad's privates and asked him what he called them. The dad answered the boy...my limousine. Another time the boy is in the bathroom when his mom is getting out of the shower and he points at her privates and asks her what she calls them. (top to bottom) She answers the boy...my headlights and my garage. The boy is sleeping in his parents bed one night. He realizes something is not right and screams to his mom...quick, turn your headlights on, dad is parking his limousine in your garage."

omg
After the first line, we looked at each other and literally busted out laughing. Oh, at first we tried to hold it in and keep our stern and solemn "that is not funny young man" faces on. To. no. avail. Here we are, two mature adults, doubled over, side stitching, belly laughing, crying kind of tears popping out the corners of our eyes...i was even blushing, and this went on well after the joke had ended. Of course all of the boys had followed along with us and were just cracking up. (hopefully not really knowing why)
Okay, what on earth was that? You have got to be freakin' kidding me. Does he even know what he is talking about?
So since we missed the opportunity to respond the right way the at first, we scrambled to make up for lost time. Collecting ourselves and doing our best to put our stern faces on, we say..." that joke itself is not funny, what was so funny to us was just YOU, busting out with it out of the blue...so don't think that is a funny joke." Thinking to ourselves that he must be thinking, yeah right, I will be telling that one again based on the marvelous response I just got. Who doesn't love to be the funny guy? And so we proceed to say, "You cannot re-tell that joke to your friends." To which he replies, "Too late! I already told so and so and so and so and so and so." (protecting the innocent here)
So we come out with the next logical set of questions, behaving more like parents every minute. "Who told you that joke? Where did you hear it?" His response absolutely floored us I am telling you, it floored us. Lesson learned here concerning the friends...never trust the quiet and really cute ones. Again, I will protect the Innocent (or not so innocent in this case), but I can no more see the kid who told him that joke uttering those words than a man in the moon. He swears it to be true, however. And I really hope that so and so and so and so and so and so's parents feel the same way when in response to those questions, they hear, "Casey Ryan." Perhaps their jaws will drop in astonishment? Please.
Gosh, this parenting stuff just entered a whole new arena of hard. HELP US, LORD.
I will say I am thrilled that he told us. He has been very much like his daddy to this point in his personality and Chris tells me he told his parents everything. Keep it up, baby, keep it up.

17 comments:

Natalie said...

I remember telling that same joke when I was probably around his age. But, I never would have repeated it to my parents. Cute Casey...I'm sure he doesn't know what it means or he wouldn't be repeating it. Too Funny. Let me know if I need to do some explaining over at my house...

Julie Marler (Mammy) said...

I'm laughing so hard! Had to read the whole thing to Robin too! You are right - I'd rather them feel the freedom to "tell it all" than to hide it all! Glad you posted this - but you should re-title it with, "Just Keeping It Real Folks!!"
Mammy

Stacie said...

oh, how i love that child. and oh, how i love that your boys are older than mine, so i can learn how to handle (or maybe how NOT to handle)these kinds of situations when they someday (all too soon) arise at my house. that is absolutely stinkin' hilarious!!!!

Lorren Says... said...

I can just imagine your face as he's telling this joke, Steph! Hilarious! The scene in "Christmas Story" where Ralphie tells his mom that his friend told him that bad word comes to mind. Thanks for sharing!

Lindsay said...

LOL...hilarious! I hate it when I start cracking up at something I really wish my kids had not just done or said.

Amy said...

I remember that joke when I was in school!! That is too funny, Frank and I laughed out loud! Good luck, let me know how it turns out. I have a few right behind you.

Ashley McWhorter said...

Conn and I so remember that joke! But, to hear Casey telling it to y'all makes it even funnier. I guess it's a good thing the boys moved out of y'alls room when they did. HeHe!!!

sandy said...

OMG....I'm dying laughing....tears in my eyes in Denver in a computer room at the hotel.....too good!!!! That is one Casey story Chris won't be sharing with the congregation probably!!!! I LOVE IT>>>>>YOU ARE SO RIGHT ABOUT THIS PARENTING STUFF......WHAT A CHALLENGE.....LOVE Y'ALL
sANDY

Mom said...

Oh my I couldn't stop laughing!

Unknown said...

Steph,

thanks for the sweet note...and thanks for the prayers. Looks like you guys are doing fantastic!

Anonymous said...

Hey I am new to blogspot and found you guys! Wow, that is HILARIOUS but amazing that jokes like that are known by kids so young. Kind of scary!

Angela said...

Steph - that is so stinkin' funny. Him telling you guys the joke - and your response. I started laughing that he was telling THAT joke, but reading about you and Chris cracking up ... oh my goodness. I was crying, laughing so hard! What a truly memorable moment!

Greg and Joy Ryan said...

ok so i am a little behind on reading your blog. but as i was reading I had to stop and reread the whole thing to greg-totally cracking up! parenting is a challenge...

Anonymous said...

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Let me know if my site STILL won't let you leave a comment! I tried messing with the settings so hopefully it'll work now. :)

Andrea

Niesa Glenewinkel said...

congrats on the POTY award! randy and I have won so many times, we have lost count. love the pics of you and stace! miss you guys!

The Darby's said...

so i guess this is what i have to look forward to...i am laughing so hard i almost wet my pants...cuz i can see y'all all in the floor cracking up!!!! You're a great mom, i'm sure of it and i feel like y'all created a memory that will be relived at many Thanksgivings to come! ha!

Amy said...

That makes me think of the time I was driving carpool and my daughter said, "Mom what does sh*t mean?" I was so glad to get to be the one to teach our carpool that lovely word!

Hilarious story! Thanks for sharing!