Motherhood

I have officially become one of "those" mothers. Today Cade wore his Lightning McQueen knee and elbow pads all day long. Even to the park. He was a "bobot." He ate breakfast in them. I nearly had to knock him out to get them off before his nap. And so when it was time to go out in public, I just didn't have the heart to make him take them off.

I always saw kids out in their Superman costumes (one at the mall last week, actually) or princess jewelry and thought "Oh how cute, I can't wait to let Cade do that." Little did I know that our first excursion into the world of toddler fashion statements would be so soon and so hysterical. He really does walk like a robot in those things, they have to be uncomfortable (they leave marks on his legs where they cut the circulation off), and it's darn near impossible to climb a ladder in them, but he just thinks he is the coolest.

I wasn't prepared for how embarrassed I'd be. As soon as we got out of the car, a passerby said to her friend, "Oh look at him! He is ready to play!" She wasn't judgemental at all, but I suddenly became very aware of his little knees and elbows. I wondered what my peers on the playground would think. I didn't want anybody to think I was some wuss Mommy who was afraid my son would bruise his precious body. Frankly, I shouldn't have wasted the brain power. Nobody even looked twice at him much less mentioned his gear. They were too busy making sure their monkeys didn't eat the mulch, fall off the swings, run into the street, bite strangers on the ankle, or eat leftover gum off the ground (OK, that one was me, too) and all the other myriad stuff parents of small children have to pay attention to. The parents of the biters were probably glad at least his knees and elbows were off the menu.

He also puts toilet paper tubes on his arms (bobot arms), little plastic caps from a cat toy on his fingertips (bobot fingers), raisin boxes on his hands (you get the idea), baskets on his head, and Mommy's shoes on his feet. All in an attempt to morph into his mechanical idols. I suppose it could have been much worse. I could have taken a walking pile of recycling to the park today.