Apparently I am that mom...

The other day in the car we were playing a game of silly names. We like to make up silly sounding nonsense words that sound a lot like the real name, but are totally ridiculous.

This incarnation was mostly centered around Star Wars Princesses & Queens.
Some offerings for Princess Amidala were...
Princess Wack-i-doodle
Princess I'm a doggie

Howls of laughter from the back seat.

Then I came up with "Princess Pizza Face" !?!! Where did that come from? It was greeted with laughter from the back, but some horror from the front. They just thought I was being funny, but in fact I was introducing them to those names... names which I hated as a kid.

So I was thinking back and wondering how that girl who joined the year book for the EXPRESS PURPOSE OF BEING IN THE BOOK (and has one lousy picture to show for all the work. Here it is. I see it hasn't improved with age. Still looking sullen, still peeling an orange, still below hot Kelly Fellers, sigh, oh, and Greg Frost is some hot shot at the Associated Press or something...) turns into that mom who is teaching her kids what Pizza Face means?

I love my kids and I think they have an even chance of not being permanently at the loser kids table, but mostly because being a geek is now cool. But I don't want them to be the ones armed with the mean words and the pithy taunts to other children who happen to have acne, braces, and glasses. (I can pretty much guarantee all of the above for J and P).

Recently Ryan and I have been wondering how Kindergarten is a microcosm of the future. There are already cool kids, fashion conscience kids, geeks who love Lego and Star Wars, and even a bit of a bully. They are tamer in all respects and there seems to be less exclusion at this point, but it's all there. We encourage J when he comes home and tells us he's now hanging out with someone new. But we also ask about what happened to the old friend we used to hear so much about?

So, I will watch what taunts I teach them. But it's too late for birthdays... be prepared to be told that you look like a monkey and you smell like one too. That was me. Sorry.