As far as moms go, I rate myself the weirdest coolest. (Although, some might contend that fiery describes me better! 😉 ) I don’t take parenting too seriously and seek the right balance between being a parent and a friend. While I’m relatively modern, my upbringing ways were largely traditional up until the pandemic hit us. Meticulously followed strict rules suddenly faded into oblivion while new ones appeared out of nowhere, and stayed. Television time got divided, phone and laptop lost their privacy while my books routinely got fondled by unknown hands. Most of all, cunning A Jr managed to draw me into the multiple sequels madness called Avengers!

Call me weird but I can be extremely thick and blunt sometimes. I was introduced to the sizzling hotness of Chris Hemsworth when I and the kids watched Ghostbusters together. Back then, I didn’t know his name (didn’t bother to find out either!) and openly referred to him as ‘the HOT guy’. Yes, in front of A Jr too. *head palm* If he found it cringy, he never showed it. I would call him a poor guy but that he definitely isn’t! Know why? He baited me with Chris’ Thor and made me watch few movies from the Avengers series! 🙁

To make matters worse, I began with Endgame. Bad decision, I know. If overweight Thor (despite long hair and that accent) didn’t make me cry, Iron Man’s unexpected death did (I’m living under a rock, it seems). Green Hulk and Gamora, Blue Nebula, purple Thanos, were they making an Avengers rainbow? Also, I was half-tempted to make Dr. Strange ‘Take a chill pill’ Pooh style. If the backstories were confusing, nothing happening in the present made any sense either. There aren’t enough emoticons to capture my expressions throughout the movie!

Yet, I sat through it all, the entire three hours of it. A Jr obligingly offered titbits of information like character traits and references to past sequels. Interestingly, our fun discussions quickly escalated to intense arguments sometimes. Thor (read Chris) is indeed the best but how can he hate Iron Man? A Jr clapped when he sacrificed himself for everyone’s sake. Can you believe it? If looks could kill, well, I would close my eyes or face elsewhere. Beta hai aakhir! 😀

The Avengers movies gave us a bonding opportunity and helped us forget the pained world around us for a while. Angel took her revenge for being left out and binge-watched on Inspector Gadget soon after. I went from a no-screen Mom to allowing them these luxuries in lieu of regular exercise and helping around the house. Although the situation is in control now, A Jr’s ‘educating Mom’ plans aren’t. His superhero trivia and obsession are never-ending. I hope this isn’t an admonition of how his teenage years are going to be!

We celebrated A Jr’s thirteenth birthday yesterday at home the way he wanted; quiet and low-key. My baby has graduated from showing off his Chhota Bheem t-shirts to sporting tacky slogans and superheroes on them, imagine. Yet, he was and remains my inspiration to write and bring out the best in me. I can’t wait to relive my teenage with my handsome dude-in-making. Just go with the flow is my mantra.

Lots of love, hugs, happiness, and blessings for you, my dear. Happy Birthday! 🙂

‘This post is a part of Blogchatter Half Marathon’

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