Proud Mommy Moment

Last night at dinner, the kids and I had a scintillating conversation about what they wanted to be when they grew up. I am afraid to admit it, but I believe my children have inherited my general lack of ambition. So what do they want to be when they grow up? Brain surgeon? Nuclear physicist? Lawyer? Pulitzer prize-winning author? No...not even close.

Nicholas announced, quite proudly, that he wanted to grow up to be a professional Wii player. Nicholas is my child who does not leave my side. He would be perfectly content to stay in the house 24/7 playing video games. I have visions of Nicholas as a thirty-year-old man...still living in my basement....working at Davanni's Pizza...still playing Mario Kart. I have visions of nerdy Nicholas who never gets a date. Nicholas who takes his sister to prom (he has no female cousins...so he'll have to settle for Sophie). Nicholas who develops a fluency in Klingon. I have visions of serving microwaved pizza rolls to Nicky and his equally socially inept 30-something cronies hanging out my basement. Yea...I believe it is time to discourage the video game obsession.

Sophie announced at dinner...as she complained about the "yucky" crust on her french toast...that she would like to grow up to be a "food taster." I can completely and totally envision Sophie as a food critic. She could not have chosen a more appropriate profession to utilize her particular skill set. She is the child who will perform a play-by-play of every single bite of food I put into my mouth. As she leans over my plate, breathing on my food, she will describe it in detail. She will say that it is gross...that it stinks...that is looks funny...that it feels slimy. She is the queen of complaining about food. As a food critic, she could actually be paid to bitch and moan about the culinary delights placed in front of her. She may be the only one of my children who ends up successful in the career of her choice.

Lucas declared that he is going to be a "monster scientist" when he grows up. I was unsure exactly what he meant by this. When I asked, he clarified by explaining that he wanted to prove the existence of monsters...most specifically, the Loch Ness Monster and Bigfoot. That's right...my son is going to be one of those weirdos hanging out in the woods with a camera trying to get photographic evidence of Bigfoot. Keep a look out for his work coming to a newsstand near you...the National Inquirer, of course. If he thinks I am buying him a plane ticket to Scotland, he is sorely mistaken.

So there you have it. My children...the professional slacker, the complainer, and the voodoo scientist. Could a mommy be more proud?