I Want It in COLOR!!! - "This is Me" Meme Gone Awry

Date: 15th April 2011

Time: 10:43 am

Last blog post: 3 hours ago

Comments on last blog post: 3

Title of last blog post: "5 Question Friday" (it's a blog hop. Over a hundred entries. Yep, 3 comments).

Duh.  Obviously, I was in a grumpy mood.  So I decided to check out other blogs that some friends had recommended to me earlier, which was NOT a good idea, because they turned out to be great blogs, and they have, like, gazillion followers, which then made me feel even more unworthy and wanted to commit a blog harakiri.

Ok, so here was where stupid does what stupids do.  One of the blogs I visited was Good Day, Regular People, otherwise known as the Empress' blog.  Uh huh, now you're starting to understand the depth of my stupidity.  For those who doesn't know what I'm talking about, go check out her blog.  It's awesome. 

Anyways, I came across one of her posts titled It's Everywhere - Baby E Post, and thought, what a marvelous idea!  It was a cute meme where you ask your child to draw a picture of you. Here's what you do:

• Ask your child to draw a picture of you. It doesn’t matter how old they are…
• Post the picture on your blog
• Call it the ‘This is Me Meme’
• Go here and add your cartoon likeness to the linky.

Easy enough, right?  So with a renewed sense of purpose, I decided that's what I was going to do right now.

I called my 6 year-old daughter, and relayed this simple instruction to her: "Babygirl, could you draw a picture of Mommy?"  Like a good girl that she was (fine, she did look at me curiously in the beginning), she immediately went on her way to accomplish this task.  By now, I was quite excited already; I couldn't wait to see the beautiful masterpiece that was about to unfold before my eyes.

Wait a minute... Why only a pencil and an eraser?  No colored pencils?  Hmm... 

"Sweetheart, where's your colored pencils?" I tried to hint. BIG hint there as you can see.

  

"I'm going to use pencil, Mommy, so in case I made a mistake I can erase it."

I thought to myself, that made sense, she wanted to make it as nice as possible.  Aw, this was gonna be great!  

12 minutes and 32 seconds later...

Whaaaaaaaaat?  Holy shitake, that's not how I looked like!?!  That's Adolf Hitler!  With long eyelashes!  And what's with the black and white?  Why no color??

Classic, neurotic me.

This was SO not my day.  At least she can make it in color!!!  Yeah, that must be it.  Color was what it needs.  I. WANT. COLOR!!!!!

I tried to be reasonable about this, but as you know, reasonable is NOT my middle name.  It's never been my middle name.  So I sulked.

I sulked, and sulked, and sulked.  Until it was time for my daughter to go to sleep.  As she was about to kiss me goodnight, I finally blurted it out, "But I want color!!!"  She looked at me and I knew that she knew,yep, mommy's having one of her "episodes."

"I tried my best, Mommy.  I really did."

"But why is it not in color?  I want color!"  Still sulking.

She looked at me and was quiet for a moment.  I shifted uncomfortably on my seat, on one side realizing my own absurdity, not giving a crap on the other.  Of course my stunted maturity-side won.  So I sulked some more.

My daughter suddenly went to her room, grab her colored pencils and a piece of paper, and started drawing.  Oh hell, only then did I start to feel really bad about the whole thing.  What the fug was I doing?  This was supposed to be fun.  Why was I giving my daughter such a hard time?  I was ashamed, truly and wholly ashamed!  As I saw her on her knees, drawing on the coffee table what I was sure of was for me, I  wanted to cry.  Still, I didn't stop her.  I was too proud to admit I was being childish.  What a mess!  Thank goodness my husband was out late with his friends; otherwise he'd probably refuse to talk to me for a whole week knowing what I had just done.

9 minutes 18 seconds later...

My daughter brought what she had just drawn to me.  It was a "rainbow butterfly."  It was a butterfly drawn on a small pink paper, this time she made sure she put colors.  There was not a space in there that wasn't colored.  Smart girl.

She said to me, "I'm sorry, Mommy.  I didn't think I could draw your face nicely, so I used a pencil.  But if you want colors, here I just draw you what I know I could draw best.  It's a pretty butterfly.  This, I could make in colors."

Boo hoo hooo... harakiri here I come!

I wish I could write a better post about this, but hey, this IS me.  That is exactly what makes the Empress' blog hers, and what makes my blog mine.  Not that I'm comparing (yeah right, get me some life, people!!!).  So I guess this is my "This Is Me Meme," and how it turned out to be more than just an eye-opening experience for me.  

Oh, and here comes the picture (folks, this is another good reason why you should take the Pledge, by the way).

Of course I can't resist posting how Daddy looked like, because the only thing that made me just a tad happier about this whole thing was how Daddy looked even worse than Mommy!  Ha, take THAT sucka!!!

And here is the peace-offering (very colorful and safe subject, can't you tell?)

Against Online Bullying - The Mom Pledge

The Mom Pledge

I am a proud Mommy Blogger. I will conduct myself with integrity in all my blogging activities. I can lead by example.

I pledge to treat my fellow moms with respect. I will acknowledge that there is no one, "right" way to be a good Mom. Each woman makes the choices best for her family.

I believe a healthy dialogue on important issues is a good thing. I will welcome differing opinions when offered in a respectful, non-judgmental manner. And will treat those who do so in kind.

I stand up against online bullying. My blog is my space. I will not tolerate comments that are rude, condescending or disrespectful.

I refuse to give those who attack a platform. I will remove their remarks from my blog with no mention or response. I can take control.

I want to see moms work together to build one another up, not tear each other down. Words can be used as weapons. I will not engage in that behavior.

I affirm that we are a community. As a member, I will strive to foster goodwill among moms. Together, we can make a difference.

As a child, I was raised to have good social manners, to have confidence in my abilities, a balanced awareness of my own limitations, and open-mindedness to others’ opinions and beliefs.  Growing up, I've learned to differentiate what is right from what is wrong.  All these experiences--the combination of my upbringing, social interactions, and education--eventually form to become a part of my self-identity.  They help define who I am as person, how I conduct my behavior, and how I respond to life in general.  When these moral values and personal beliefs are manifested positively and consistently in all aspects of an individual's life, that person can be described as having "integrity."  To be a person with integrity is one of the things that I strive for in life.

It is only natural that each person would develop different beliefs and ways of living that are specific to his or her own experiences growing up.  The same applies to parenting styles.  With the exception of cases involving abuse (physical, psychological, or sexual) or threat to a child’s safety, I am aware that each mother might have different opinions regarding what’s best for her child, depending on her personal beliefs and values, and her firsthand knowledge of her child. 

The Mom Pledge makes it possible for mothers of different backgrounds, lifestyles and religious beliefs to share and exchange information about their family lives (parenting style included) in a manner that is supportive, unobtrusive, considerate, and non-judgmental.  By taking the Pledge, I am reaffirming my belief that each mother is entitled to raise her own child to the best of her ability and in ways that she deems fitting.  

I’m very fortunate to have come across so many amazing, incredibly thoughtful and well-written blogs during my short time as a blogger.  These are all blogs that are fun, insightful, humorous, and entertaining.  Oh, mommies being mommies, there are times when they are serious, and there are also times when they let loose, use “four-letter” words, and joke about things that are far from prim and proper.  But even then, it is clear to me that all these blogs have “integrity,” and not surprisingly, they all have taken the Mom Pledge.

I have not experienced bullying firsthand, but I’ve seen some rude and offensive comments directed at other bloggers.  Those are not comments that merely voice a different opinion or constructive criticism.  It was clear that they were intended to attack and insult the author of the post.  It’s easy to spot online bullying because they are so offensive and disrespectful in nature; however, it is not as easy to identify the perpetrator because they almost always hide behind their anonymity.  In all of those cases  I mentioned, the blog owners simply ignore the comment and move on to address the rest.  From what I’ve seen so far, it did silence the bully, because whoever it was did not continue with any more negative comments.  

I must admit that my natural response would be to at least defend myself against the said bully.  However, by taking the Pledge, I have also committed to eradicate online bullying by silencing them, therefore giving the perpetrator absolutely nothing to go on with.  I have seen, as in the cases I mentioned above, how the Pledge worked: all the blog owners chose to ignore the comment, and the bully was in fact silenced.  And then there is strength in numbers.  With more and more bloggers joining the Mom Pledge Community, we are the majority.  With nothing to feed on, the bulllies will wither and hopefully disappear for good.  

I have not had the chance to participate in the Mom Pledge Community so far, having just started my blog and taken the Pledge.  However, many of the blogs I have come across and made friends with are owned by mothers who have taken the Pledge.  As I’m making my first small steps into the Bloggy World, I’ve learnt that as in any culture, there are many unwritten rules that bloggers abide to as they interact with each other.  One thing I am sure of though, that by taking the Pledge and becoming a part of the Mom Pledge Community, it is a step in the right direction.

You too can take the Pledge and join other mom bloggers fight against online bullying.  Click on the Pledge button above and sign up now!