It’s the first of my Whiteboard Wednesday Guest Posters!
I’m thrilled to introduce you to Wendy Bradford. She is a writer, wife, and New York City mama of twins plus one. She blogs with honesty, humor, and gratitude at Mama One to Three and at Huffington Post. She is also the director of social media for Mommybites. She is always caffeinated.
Here she is with something she never thought she’d say to her kids.
I Do Not Look Like Mater
My almost-four-year-old son is smitten with the camera on my iPhone. He takes any and all opportunities to swipe the phone from the coffee table or kitchen counter or from my hand to zero in on his favorite subjects around our apartment. Lately, these include the kitchen floor tiles, yogurt containers in the recycling, and the scratched up surface of my dining table. He also loves taking pictures of us.
One evening last week, Henry and I were alone in the living room. His sisters were in their bedroom reading with my husband.
“Cheese,” Henry said to me, pointing the familiar miniature lens at my face.
“Cheese,” I said, smiling at him. I continued thumbing through the Pottery Barn catalog.
“Mommy?” My sweet little boy asked me. “Mommy?”
“Yes honey. What is it?” I didn’t look up.
“You look like Mater.”
“What?” I looked at him.
There are not many parents unfamiliar with Mater from the Disney Cars movies. But in case you’ve forgotten what Mater looks like, here he is.
“What do you mean?” I asked my darling. Sweet. Boy.
“When you open your mouth. You look like Mater.”
I replied:
Over the past couple of years, I have thought about getting those invisible braces. I am always a little self-conscious of my slightly crooked front teeth. BUT I DID NOT THINK I LOOKED LIKE MATER.
“Yes you do. In your mouth you do.”
This conversation was worse than all my years of junior high. “How does Mommy look like Mater? I do not look like Mater.”
“Mommy?”
Oh God. “Yes, Henry?”
“Can we watch Cars?”
Later when the kids were all asleep, and my husband and I were in the kitchen fixing dinner for ourselves, I looked at him, very seriously, and asked. “Do I look like Mater?”
Before he could answer, I whined, “Henry said I look like Mater.”
“Oh.” He filled a pot with water.
“I don’t look like Mater!”
He laughed. “No, I know why he said that…”
“Please tell me,” I pleaded.
“We were playing with Mr. Potato Head today. And we were putting the different teeth in place and I was saying that all the teeth are like Mater’s.”
Could I buy this? Should I buy this?
“…And Henry kept repeating that ‘teeth are like Mater.’ That’s what he meant.”
I stared at him.
“C’mon. Really.” He opened the pasta as we waited for water to boil. “You do not look like Mater.”
Satisfied, I turned to walk into the living room. I stopped and threw out my final question, “You’d tell me if I looked like Mater, right?”
~~
Your turn:
It’s time to confess.
Which cartoon character do you resemble, in appearance or actions?
[Also, don’t forget there’s still time to enter to win $250 from Print123.com]
When my daughter was almost two she seemed to think my doppelganger was in Monsters, Inc… I actually blogged about it here —> http://danceswithchaos.wordpress.com/2011/07/26/evacuation-complete-my-doppelganger-and-shrink-rays/
There are a lot of days I feel like the narcoleptic version of sleeping beauty from Shrek 3.
I’m probably the most like Belle in Beauty and the Beast because if left to my own devices, I would read all day. Minus the ability to sing. Or carry a tune. Plus she never has to cook or clean thanks to an enchanted castle.
Omigosh! That is awesome! My son is almost 14, so (thankfully) we do not have to watch movies like CARS anymore. I don’t know what Disney princess I look like. But I’m certain I look like one. Probably. Was there a princess who wore hats? 😉
This is great! I’m not sure if I’m Goofy (OK that just opened up a whole new line of commentary) or Mickey Mouse. If you look at a picture my niece posted of me on my Facebook wall, you can decide for yourself.
Nelson
I love that I am not the only one! I tell you though–I got strangely defensive with my little boy about this! 🙂
I don’t think you resemble a cartoon car at all. I don’t remember my kids comparing me to anyone, if they did, I blocked it out! 🙂
You know, I get “Has anyone ever told you that you look like ________?” – with a wide variety of names in the blank – a lot. I can’t think of any cartoons, though. I’m sure I’m just forgetting…
Loved, loved, loved this…
yes sometimes it’s a scary moment when you get that “You know who you look like?” ANYTHING could follow!!
It is scary to get a comment like that from a kid because they are so honest! I had a little girl once tell me in Bible class that I looked 84 years old. I wanted to head to the cosmetics counter immediately and buy every anti-wrinkle product they had.
I have watched both Cars movies. Trust me, you don’t look like Mater. Did love the post though>
My kids tell me that I look like Betty Boop or the Green Powerpuff Girl. Could be worse, I guess
At least motherhood is never boring, right?
Great post, Wendy!
I look like Amy Farrah-Fowler. Truly. My kids gave me a tiara for Christmas and everything. In the same vein….Velma. I look like Velma only, according to my kids, “Your hair’s better than hers.”
I am a goddess.
I absolutely loved your post! It is so cute. 🙂 It is just amazing what kids can come up with isn’t it. All four of my kids are grown now with children of their own and I love listening to my grandchildren talk about things. I have 8 grandchildren with another little grandson due in the next 2 weeks. I hope you don’t mind but I reposted this to my blog and linked it back to yours. I’m also following your blog. Thank you so much for the laugh this afternoon, I really needed it! 🙂