Not the Mama

Chase has taken to calling me "Mom" now. Not Mama so much anymore, but Mom. The child uses this new term of endearment when he wants to engage in a bit of a pre-adolescent attitude sharing. Let me share with you just one example of this new sassiness. This morning I asked him--quite nicely I thought--whether he was going to come downstairs and eat some bananas and waffles. His reply, "Mom....No, I'm not" followed by the slamming of his bedroom door. I stood there thinking, "Hello! You're 2! And you're a boy. This is behavior I might expect from your sister when she's 13, not from you at 2. I mean give me a break kid!" Sadly, "No, I'm not" has now become one of his most oft repeated phrases. I certainly do miss the easy going "OK" days of yore.

Besides the new 'tude that has come into play, there's another reason being called Mom really bums me out. Remember how Boyz II Men had a ballad on the Soul Food soundtrack called "A Song for Mama"? Maybe you need a little refresher...here's the chorus:

Mama, mama you know I love you
Oh you know I love you
Mama, mama you're the queen of my heart
Your love is like
Tears from the stars
Mama, I just want you to know
Lovin you is like food to my soul

Is it all coming back to you now? Anyway, I always kind of thought that one day Chase would become a multi-platinum recording artist, and he would cover that song and sing it for me live at Madison Square Garden. This was, of course, a perfectly realistic future scenario until Monkey's new parental nomenclature emerged. Sadly, I just don't think, "Mom, Mom you know I love you" has the same appeal. But fear not, for the Chase as a future professional baseball player dream is still alive.