Proud Moment

My husband turned on the T.V. in another room this morning.  The announcer's voice was blamming on about what I thought was the superbowl (clearly I'm not into sports...).  He called to my daughter:  "Mae, come see what these girls are doing!!" 

I thought, "this is it! This is the moment where she is being told to watch the cheerleaders and not the MEN playing the sport".  My  heart sank, but I rationalized it with, "well, those professional cheerleaders ARE amazing athletes, and just because they are wearing short skirts doesn't make them any less of an athlete," along with the other litanies I had repeated to myself and anyone else who would listen when *whispering* I was a cheerleader. 

*Okay, I was never THAT kind of cheerleader!*

I told myself we weren't endangering her gender realities or her self image or feelings about the condition of her bellybutton for the rest of her life, because they are just cheerleaders!  and they ARE girls!!  And it is okay for girls to be cheerleaders!! But I was also planning a loooong lecture on her ability to play ANY sport, including cheerleading if that was her desire because girls aren't relegated to the sideline sports...  blah, blah, blah....

I turned the corner into the living room wiping my hands and preparing to start my amazing mother lecture series to see a ladies' moguls competition on that damn t.v.!!!  My husband hadn't called her in to see cheerleaders (not that there is anything WRONG with that) at ALL!!  He was showing her how those skiers were leaning forward and, "see how fast they turn??" and "YOU could ski like that, too, Mae!"

I'm a proud mama and a proud wife.  Those bumps skiers kicked ass.  And so does my husband.