Cheap Entertainment

I'd swear I've already talked about this a little, but I can't find where. Forgive me if part of this sounds familiar.

There's been something funny floating around the internet the last few days. My facebook friends have possibly already seen it because I linked to it yesterday. First, pop over to this blog to see what I'm talking about.

I'll give you a minute.

{Jeopardy music plays in the background.}

Okay, are you back?

That's my kind of parent right there! Gotta love a man who goes through that much trouble just to embarrass the snot out of his teenager.

When I was in junior high, my dad was always willing to walk around the mall with us. I didn't understand until I found myself the step-mom to teenage boys during my first marriage.

Guess what?

Embarrassing your children is insanely FUN!!

Picture two teen boys, 15 and 17, stuck riding around in the boringly tan family minivan. It was the color of dirt. (For the record, I HATED that car. I got talked into buying it by the ex.) For once, I had given in and let them listen to their favorite radio station. Much to my surprise, the station started playing Sr Mix-a-Lot's song Baby Got Back. I will never forget the looks of horror on their faces when I proceeded to sing along. I knew Every. Single. Word. to that song, and even knew when the whip sounds happen. It still goes down in history as my favorite Child Embarrassment moments. (So far, I'm sure I'll find many more ways to scar my own children for life as the years go by.)

But the prize still goes to my best friend's mom for one extra memorable day in 8th grade. My mom was a teacher, and had to leave the house much sooner than I did in the mornings. Since my house was on the way to the junior high from B's house, her mom would pick me up on the way. At the time, she was driving what can only be described as The World's Ugliest Station Wagon. Not only was it a station wagon in a time when that was the uncoolest thing ever, but it had an exceptionally horrible body design. And it was the color of split pea soup. Keep in mind that 8th grade is one of the most uncomfortable age groups on the planet (my mom always referred to 8th grade students as "pukes"). B and I would do our best to hide so that we wouldn't be subject to the ridicule of having to arrive in that horrifying beast. On top of all that, one lovely morning, B and her mom picked me up and I discovered three additional terrifying details. #1, the entire back, plus all but enough room on the back seat for me was full of black garbage bags full of cans. #2, B's mom was wearing curlers. #3, she was also wearing pink plaid bell-bottom pants. Why oh why couldn't I be sick that day??? But then B would have had to deal with that nightmare by herself and I was not about to put her through that.

So yeah.

B's mom wins the prize for that one.

I'm still scarred.

Excuse me while I go hide in a dark corner with the shakes.