(remembered from July 2009)

I hope my oldest doesn’t get all over me for this one, but it was just too cute. My husband and the boys love to camp. I am all for it, as long as I get something out of the deal. So one weekend in summer of 2009, we decided to pack up four of the boys (Joey was with his biological father) and head to Williamsburg for some fun at Busch Gardens. Now, I LOVE amusement parks, and Busch Gardens is no exception. It has four, yep four, amazing roller coasters, little rides for the kids, shows, you name it. But with four (or five) kids, it is exhausting. Corey is too cool for the roller coaster in Sesame Street Land, and Hayden is barely tall enough to ride the Loch Ness Monster (or the “big people roller coaster” as he calls it) yet - We just recently went again, and Hayden loved the LNM so much he went on it twice! In any event, to keep things fair, it always requires some bargaining, some finesse and some fussing, but we usually have a good time.

So back to summer of 2009… We got to the campground on Friday and set everything up. I, of course, was just riding Roy to hurry up. The Griffon (BG’s newest roller coaster) was seriously calling my name. Before I knew it, the tents were up, and we were on our way. What followed was about six hours of roller coaster rides, overpriced gummy treats, and lots of giggles and smiles. Too tired to go back to the campground and cook, Roy suggested we just grab something quick. On the way back to our campground, we decided to hit McDonald’s.

It was crowded. We weren’t the only tired amusement park tourists to hit this particular fast food joint. So we placed our order and sat down. I was exhausted and just wanted the boys to behave. I figured if we could get through dinner, we could relax at the campground for a little while and then blissful rest!

“What is taking so long, Mommy? I am so hungry!” Hayden whined.

“Honey, I know. Daddy is checking on things right now.”

“Dad should just shove up there and demand our food! A big bald guy would get some results.” Corey added. Corey is enamored with his dad. My husband is a big guy. He looks imposing, is smart as hell, likes video games, and let’s face it, he indulges his boys… to a 15 year old boy he is the epitome of a “cool dad.”

“Corey, who cares if your dad’s bald? I love it.” While I appreciate, and even love, that he thinks so highly of his father, the fact that he is always talking about Roy being bald is just silly.

“Yeah, shut up Corey. You’re bald too.” Hayden defended his daddy.

Corey started laughing.

“No, honey. Corey isn’t bald. Look at all Corey’s hair.” I corrected Hayden.

“Duh, dork. I’m not bald!” Corey retorted.

“Yeah, well… you have polka dots all over your face!” Hayden threw this back at Corey, and I sat there stunned - though I admit I was about to die laughing on the inside.

Corey was 15. He was and is right smack dab in the middle of puberty - and pimples come with the territory. I am sure that the heat didn’t help the matter any. I wondered if he was going to get mad at his little brother, but to my delight, he simply laughed.

“Yeah? So! Just you wait, little man… in a few years, YOU will have polka dots all over your face, and then I will laugh at you!” I didn’t miss the affection in Corey’s voice. And thinking back on it, how telling is that? His little brother embarrassed him in public. He teased him about something Corey is sensitive about, but instead of getting angry and attacking back, he laughed it off and teased his little brother with open affection and love. Those are the moments when, as a mom, I feel the best. I am trying to raise boys that can brush off the little things, even though I don’t always do this myself. And this just reminds me that, sometimes, the lessons stick.

“Ok, food is here!” Roy put down two trays, and the kids all dove for their food.

“Daddy! Corey has polka dots on his face!” Hayden shrieked at Roy.

My husband looked at me with a question on his face, “What?”

We all just laughed and ate our fries.