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Thursday, January 27, 2011

How NOT to embarrass your kids

There’s nothing like being a parent to make one humble.

For instance, until recently, YZG and I always believed that fadichot were our forte.

Indeed, we felt that we were safely on our way to winning the highly-coveted “Most Embarrassing Parents EVER” award.

I mean, consider the evidence:

  • We’re both Anglos.
  • I have a blog.
  • And it has a ridiculous name.
  • And I insist on writing about a nonexistent language.

Does it GET any more embarrassing than that??

Well, apparently, it does.

Because, as YZG and I were recently shocked to discover, our capacity for generating fadichot is far from endless.

You see, a few weeks ago, ACST (=A Certain Shiputzim Teenager) hosted an American friend for Shabbat.

And after Shabbat, when the guest had left, I turned to ACST and, as is my wont, asked hopefully, “So, did we embarrass you?

I smugly assumed that the answer would be very much in the affirmative.

I was wrong.

No. Not really,” ACST shrugged. “There wasn’t anything to be embarrassed about, because [the guest] is American. It can only be embarrassing in front of Israelis…”

Needless to say, YZG and I were devastated…

smile_teeth

How limited is YOUR ability to embarrass your children?

10 comments:

  1. LOL. Talk with your kids' friends on Facebook, that'll do it.

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  2. What Ezzie said, and also, comment on your kids' status. My daughter's friends call our Facebook interactions the Tehila and Her Mother Show.

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  3. Aw... I think this is CUTE. What it means to me is that it's not YOU who are the embarrassment - it's just that you're not Israeli. With other anglos, there's no potential for embarrassment. Because, of course, from an Anglo perspective, you're 100% normal. That's a compliment, coming from a teenager. ;-)

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  4. Give up; you can't win on this one. It's a "fringe benefit" of parenting, especially if you're an immigrant any place.

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  5. My oldest is still young enough that threatening to kiss him in public is embarrassing. I don't actually do it, but threatening to is great fun ;).

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  6. Ezzie and Miriyummy - Talking with my kids' friends on FB? Commenting on THEIR statuses? {laughs diabolically and rubs hands together in evil anticipation} Cruel and unusual! Awesome! :-)

    Jennifer - LOL! That's exactly what I said in response, "I'm going to take that as a compliment, because you take what you can get..." :-)

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  7. Batya - Reason #7883 for making aliyah: fadichot! :-)

    Robin - I don't actually do it, but threatening to is great fun
    Haha! I've threatened to do the same... :-)

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  8. I'm not a parent yet but so I'll write from a childs view. When I was a kid my mother got some kind of infection on her left hand and the palm turned blue and I refused to hold that hand even now i won't touch that hand and ever since she's been threatening me that she will hold me with that hand in public. But now if she embarrasses me i could just tell her that I will shut down her imamother account cause she lets me look at her imamother post and lets me even post (yes even though I'm a guy) so i she behaves to me.

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  9. Sorry I have no idea to add; I was going to suggest kissing your kids in front of friends but I see that Robin has already made tis suggestion.

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  10. Yekke Wannabe - Kids may have a few tricks up their sleeves, but nothing - NOTHING! - compares to the embarrassment caused by Anglo parents speaking in American-accented Hebrew to their children's Israeli friends... :-)

    Ilana-Davita - That seems to be a perennial favorite! :-)

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