The Mayor and I were deeply engrossed in Lego building while K made dinner and The Rooster hid in the kitchen cabinets.
It was amidst the strewn Legos that The Mayor noticed my pedicure.
He examined the polish and declared that he wanted his toe nails painted.
RIGHT. NOW.
I told him that I didn't have any nail polish in the house and promised that we could go and buy some just for him.
He got up and headed for the door."We can't go right now, Mayor. Dinner is almost ready. We'll go another time."
Oh. My. God.
There was a great sadness.
Dark clouds filled the sky.
There would be no peace in the land until nail polish was procured.
What to do?
PROCURE! PROCURE! PROCURE THE POLISH!!
Hello, neighbors!!
We found our neighbor Colleen, who ran a marathon that morning, limping across her lawn."Colleen! Collllleeeeeeeeennnnnn!!! We have always loved you, Colleen..."
Oh, thanks be praised to the blessed St. Colleen for The Mayor lifted up his voice and asked for the Wet & Wild and his toe and finger nails were answered with the "Mo' Hotter Cherry Flava" color, glory be and hallelujah.
Honestly, his nails looked pretty good (and we weren't late for dinner.)
The Mayor was so happy, gleeful really.
He kept asking for touch ups and sat as patiently as an almost three-year-old could while our kitchen timer counted the minutes for the paint to dry.
I have been amazed at the reaction his nails have received.
Both children and adults have conversations with The Mayor that go like this:Random Person X: "Are you a girl?"
The Mayor: No. I'm a BOY!!
Random Person X: Then why do you have your nails polished? That is for GIRLS!
The Mayor answers with a blank stare. I can't tell what he's thinking.
Ever the mother lion, I told one little girl that she had it all wrong -- that men were starting to paint their nails - that it was the hot, hip, new thing."Really?" she asked me.
"Oh, yeah. TOTALLY."
[I am such a liar.]
So yesterday we had to take The Mayor and his painted nails to the pediatrician because neither of his parents was smart enough to take him three weeks ago when he said that his ear was "buzzing."
"Buzzing, schmuzzing kid! Suck it up!"
We made The Mayor wait until he was writhing in pain, clutching his ear and yelling,"OW, OW, OW!!! My ear HURRRRRRRRTTTTTTTSSSSSS!!!"
Only then did we think, "Huh. Maybe he has an ear infection."
Try an enormous ear infection that has been festering for... oh, I don't know... say...THREE WEEKS!!!
[I am a parenting GENIUS!]
At the doctor's office, The Mayor abandoned his shoes and socks and showed off his mani/pedi to the assorted crowd in the waiting room.
A tiny girl who couldn't have been more than four took one look at The Mayor's nails and said,"Oh, Giirrrrrrrrrrrl, you got your nails did. Gimme high fives!!!"
The Mayor laughed and laughed while slapping her hand.
Oh, to be understood.
Right on.
99 comments:
You know this is the gateway to him sniffing Nail polish remover..right?
Often when I go to pick up my children from the sitter's, especially in the summer, they've all had their toes & fingers painted. Even the boy in the group!
My brother used to like having his nails painted by my Mom, too.
And, actually, there are alot of guys painting their nails these days... mostly rocker-type dudes and mostly a dark or black polish. But it's polish, just the same!
You go, Mayor! Paint those nails!
Our older son went through a nail polishing phase. The Swede didn't like that my sister polished our son's nails. I thought it was kind of cute.
Good on you, mom!
When Ben was the same age as The Mayor, he asked for a Barbie. A tough one, b/c I don't even like Barbie for girls. But I thought it was important to get him the Barbie anyway. So I went to the store and found the least offensive Barbie I could: Presidential Barbie. She wore a suit. Ben was happy. My husband? Not so much.
Cool! Now go buy him so black or green and he'll really be the hipster dude!
Um, I'm sorry, but I swooned at "K fixed dinner" and didn't really get the rest of your story. He had some kind of sexual identity crisis is that it? Eh. Well. My nephew likes to put on high heels and make-up. He's very in touch with his feminine side, thanks to a female twin. I don't think it's going to scar him for life.
My son never went for polish (Mommy's finger and toe nails being bare his whole life) - it just never occurred to him. But for Christmas, when he was 5, he wanted a baby doll. Badly. He insisted that I tell everyone who asked what he wanted for Christmas that he wanted a baby doll. His Aunt Rita asked me about it, and I told her that little girls learned how to be good mommies by playing with dolls. Little boys can learn to be good daddies that way too. Just as important, don't you think? He got his doll.
I venture to say there are a lot of boys out there, secretly getting their toes painted, before hopping onto the school bus. Mine included.
They don't want to miss all the fun.
Before I just thought you were crazy...
But now it's confirmed.
Your kids toes actually look pretty good, but not good enough for me to go out and copy.
I think it would say something different about me.
Too adorable :-)
My son is just starting to ask to have his nails done too when I do his sister's. I think I might have to go out and buy some black polish just for him - but only because I think it will help Daddy deal with it better (sigh).
The Mayor is a super cool rock star.
Mr. Schmitty would kill me!! Too cute!
Thank goodness there are moms like you out there. I wanted to say something funny, but really, I'm totally serious.
My little girl had a tantrum over having her toe nails painted, too. I was pulling out my red polish to don my toes for the first day of flip-flop weather and she ran in and asked me if my toes were hurt. When I explained that I wasn't painting my toes with blood, she said she wanted some, too. But, she's a girl.
His toes look great. Just a preview of his rebellious teenage years to come.
Love the toes! I remember in the late 80s some guys painting their nails and wearing makeup, part of that whole androgynous/ rocker thing.
That is soooo cute!!!
Niiiiice! Brute Force is a big fan of the mani/pedi as well.
In fact, we dealt with our first instance of teasing over some blue nail polish that Brute Force was wearing-a couple of older neighborhood boys gave him a bit of a hard time about it, and Big Daddy just informed Brute Force, in a nice loud voice, that SOME PEOPLE were just not very nice. To this Brute Force replied "come on Da, I don't want to play with these guys anymore. Let's go home."
Oh SNAP!
My son use to like to have his nails painted, too at that age. Then one day, while I was giving the tootsies new color I asked if he wanted his done. He said no and that it was for girls.
It made me quite sad b/c someone had taken that innocence away.
When I get to a certain weight, I'm treating myself to a pedicure.
The Mayor is welcome to join me. :)
I know you know this already but your kids are really cute.
It IS the latest thing... boys having their nails painted! Seriously, I've seen several teenage guys downtown with their nails painted...
(I hate it when people are stupid about children and gender... just let the kid enjoy his decorations... jeez.)
At least he can admire his nails while recovering from the ear infection... hope he feels better soon!
Boys love their nails painted red --sports car red, fire truck red, candy apple red... next up: henna tattoos.
Mayor: You go, girl!
OTJ: Joking aside... remember when people laughed at a guy wearing earrings?!
I have a pedicure scheduled for next week and The Mayor is welcome to come along. I'm sure he'd be a big hit!
Fun story. Love that K was making dinner!
Oh man this brings backs memories as my step-mom often painted my brother's nails. He is about 18 months apart from my sister and he would always cry for his to be done too. This was about 20 years ago (he is 25 now) and let me tell you people were not as kind then.
Then when we were first married and I had time to say paint my own toes, I was painting them a lovely shade of blue (I wore blue exclusively for several years on my toes) I kept threatening hubby to do his - so I did. He had blue toes peeking out of his Teva's for several weeks. He loved it and all the talk it generated. I don't think his parents understood though.
Way to go Mayor, spring is coming so you had better be prepared! You are a good Mom! You made me laugh about the ear, so you are me a week later I guess...
Three months later, the Easy Bake Oven he BEGGED for is still my son's favorite Chanukah present. My husband rolls his eyes everytime he walks by the "pink monstrosity" on our kitchen counter.
Sweet! You could totally go with blue polish, or different colors for different nails, or even just a clear with glitter polish...
And I thought we were all gender-bendy by buying Max pink, glittery, floral Curious George undies.
Too cute.
Bossy thinks a nice shade of mauve may better compliment his cheeks.
YES! My nephew loves to have his nails painted too. We went and bought him wet n wild green & black because he started to want boy colors.
I feel all fresh and sparkly after getting my toes done too - my love affair with the Mayor continues...
HE LOOKS EXACTLY like K. Holy crap! hawhaw that is hilarious. He is adorable.
I love little boys with painted fingers and toes. Love them.
Well, I have all girls so painted nails are a regular thing around here. A has a good boy friend who is 7 and has shoulder length hair. She has real issues with his "girl" hair. Also, with my "boy" hair. Apparently I am not doing my job as a myth-busting feminist? :) Oh, and my dad always let us paint his nails when we were kids. That was cool.
You son has been after me to do his for I know, since like birth but we always told him no since dad has lectured nail painting is for girls. I did it secretly a few times and he LOVED it. Your son is tooooo cute!
LMAO!
Awww, he's a cutie with his little red toes. I've let my kids' ears fester before too so don't feel bad.
My godson is 7 and loves to have his nails done...now he's into black and blue like rocker Lukas Rossi.
I like that he doesn't stop when others tell him that nail polish is for girls...who says so. He likes it and that's what matters.
...nice job on The Mayor's nails ;)
How cute is he? I think its awesome that you let him have his fun Joy. Unfortunately for my kid I kinda balked when we had that conversation a couple years ago and I din paint them for him. :(
You hung up on me.
Right On Mayor!!
And, why not?! I still remember when Liam watched me paint my nails one afternoon and insisted on having his done, too.
You go, boy!
That photo of your little guy just made my day. My youngest son (age 2) likes to be "pretty" and wear barrettes and other hair ornaments. I can totally see him wanting nail polish too. Your writing is a joy (no pun intended) to read.
I love it.
Reminds me of when I painted my dog's nails. I should paint Oliver's.
Huh. Wonder how much therapy is going to cost him later in life. LMAO
Huh. Wonder how much therapy is going to cost him later in life. LMAO
That's not called lying. That's called trendsetting ... someone has to start it for the little guy!
One of my friends' boys was into the nail polish the boas.... You name it... But my girlfriend was an earthy mother... A salt of the earth mother... brown was never ever out of fashion mother,,,
Much to her son's chagrin...
Her husband had to go out with his son and buy the nail polish and the boas...as her son...her son did not trust his mother's fashion sense!!!
How adorable. My son, when he was 3, painted his penis with red nail polish that I left outside while I ran in to answer the phone.
When I was about to remove the polish with nail polish remover, my husband jumped out of the chair and screamed, NOOOOOOOOOO. I stopped just in time.
I didn't realize that a penis was so sensitive to nail polish remover. Hey, it's not like I have one.
So the red nail polish wore off by itself.
I just published a (somewhat) related post and linked back here to you. Just thought I'd let you know.
We paint my son's big toes. He wants to be part of the action so why not! :)
Such a lovely shade of red. It compliments his eyes.
And I wouldn't worry about the repercussions. I'm sure he won't try to smother you with a pillow when he's older. You were just doing what he asked of you.
;)
I think it is cool you were so laid back about it. People in our society get WAY uptight about boys exploring stuff like that, as if a 3 year old has some deep seeded sexual issues. Whatever. Great color, kid!
I love the 4yo's response!
Geek Boy used to want to wear my nail polish. Once he insisted on putting it on just before we left for the airport. I think he was three. The stewardess complimented him on his fingers and he hid his hands in embarrassment the rest of the trip. Cured.
My nephew, on the other hand, dressed up with his younger girl cousins until he was nine or ten. Thankfully he's outgrown it now, as a fifteen year old dressed like a pink ballerina finds himself to be treated a bit...er...differently.
That is so awesome.
When The Boy was smaller, he loved to um...accessorize. Glittery brooches (lots at a time), bracelets, necklaces. My favorite was the jeweled tiara and wand he was hung up on for a bit. He wore it to Target, a friend's birthday party, school...everywhere.
Some of the comments he got though...ugh.
People need to lighten up.
Hope his ear feels better soon!
You have a well rounded little man...he smacks ladies on the ass AND likes to have a nice pedicure. :)
If my daughter can be a tomboy, why can't my son be a janegirl?
Oh baby, and you are in the SOUTH too...
LOVE THIS. My son calls his infrequent but usually blue mani/pedi his "sparkle." As in, "Mommy, I can't cut off my ten inch coke-nail, it would take off my SPARKLE!"
Awesome picture! D just had his fingernails painted orange---he insisted I do it while I painted his sisters' nails? They looked adorable. But, why do my three children have painted nails while mine are naked and ugly?
Mr. 4 prefers a deep violet. Maybe he and the Mayor could get together to swap colors.
That little girl??!!! Get her an acting contract now!
I can't wait to meet you in person. I have a feeling I'm just never going to stop laughing. I'll be like the stoned friend in the back seat all munchies and giggles. Duuuude!
Dave Navarro does his nails! I happen to think this is cool.
Actually they look way better than mine do today!
Go Boy! Git on witch're bad self.
Good for him!! Buck the convention. Actually, I know lots of boys who do their nails. It's not so unusualy (well, where I live anyway!)
How cute is he?! You gotta love the patience of children.....NO! You have to!!!! LOVE IT, RIGHT NOW! :)
I do believe that Tuesday afternoon will see me heading for a little mani/pedi of my own....and I did NOT even have to vacuum to get it! :)
right on, indeed.
(oh those little perfect toes)
Well, I guess I'd vote for a Mayor who'd paint his toenails!
Good on him and good on you for not scolding him on boy/girl "issues."
Ha! Boyo's had his toes painted, too.
Look at those darlin' painted toenails! What a great mom you are to PROCURE THE POLISH!
Love this post - and the comments - you don't make a big deal out of it, and neither do your readers. We're all going to be "getting along" in the real world soon. any day now...
Hee-hee. Take lots of pictures. For blackmail later.
That picture is the BEST.
That rocks!
He is such a cutie! I love that K didn't freak about nail polish (or did he?) and that you were ok with it too!
The other day my 1 year old nephew came over with his toes and fingers painted and his mom forgot to bring him diapers so he went home in Emma's princess pull-ups. His dad was THRILLED when he came to pick him up.
One of my sons (15 y/o) paints his finger nails black and puts red/maroon colored streaks in his hair.. which is fine by me as long as he doesn't start giving my eyeliner longing looks.
Your sons nails look cute.
You had no nail polish in your house? I think we had a separate trip in the move just for the unused but sparkly beauty and make-up products.
Okay countem. SEVENTY-TWO Posts. SEVENTY TWO. You scare me.
First, beautiful child! Second, I feel ya sister. Last summer was the phase of painted toes and nails in multiple colors by our babysitter, no doubt bowing to the request of a small 3 year old boy. Daddy loved it.
So funny I laughed out loud! I love it. I hope that little girl has her brother wearing polish now and that you have started a new trend.
I love it! Great story!
SEVENTY SEVEN. *ARE TOO* :P
I'm jealous! His nails are prettier than mine. You're such a cool mom/dad. My hubbie would be like "uh, why?" And we might have to put aside funds for therapies later on.
Oh
My
GOODNESS!
What a great story. I love it love it love it!
:: sigh ::
Love that Mayor!
That is the cutest damned thing, ever. You ARE a [parenting] genius!
I am in love with the Mayor. Truly. What an awesome kid.
Sweet Lord that was funny. And The Mayor is a cutie.
ohhh great wedding stories for him!!!!
You are such a cool mom. :) Lucky family you have there... :)
Cute kid! Tell him it takes a real MAN to be able to paint the nails and not care about what ANYONE thinks. I wish I could have been that cool.
I survived the beatings during my tweens, however and I'm pretty much healed up now (25ish years later). :)
85 comments??? Good lord!
You have no nail polish in your house? Seriously?
That is the cutest thing I've seen all day!
Hope The Mayor's ear is okay!
Carrie
oh, he is stinkin' cute. you write wonderfully, to bring out the whole essence of him. Right on.
how did your hubby react? Mine would shoot me. Mine never went for it...well as in wanting to wear it. He did however go for ALL my makeup, which includes fingernail polish and used it ALL to color on my tile floor, his bed, toys, clothes and white walls. Not all of it came out and to this day I only have one of each because I'm so scared of it happening again.
The good news is, his hands will look fabulous when he is forced to learn to sign due ear buzzing induced deafness. ;-)
holy crap, you have 90 comments on this post. If I were only that entertaining :(.
Do you remember back in the 80's when all of the rock stars wore make-up. I think I remember seeing a poster with that rock group Poison and they were wearing nail polish. Tell people its a retro thing.
We use to paint my cousin's toes all the time. It's true, he got the strangest looks from people, then they would glare at us as if we just corrupted his soul.
I mean, OMG! Next thing you know, we might let him play with a doll or something equally blasphemous.
Too funny!
And I was worried about my 20 month old daughter and her wearing nail polish...
That is the cutest photo! And my son LOVED having his nails painted at that age too. My hubby would get pissed. But hey, he's 3. Not like other kids are going to care. And if they notice? They'll be envious.
You have to get him some OPI. They have the best names. "I'm Not Really A Waitress" is one of my favourites. How you can go wrong with the puns? Don't Socra-tease Me? Friar, Friar, Pants On Fire. Mauving To Manitoba. It's genius, I tell you. Pure genius.
Love it! I'm eagerly awaiting the day that my 3 yr old asks me to do his toes. Mine's constantly stealing his little sister's hair bows.
I'll have to do it when my husband is out, though. Great guy, but he has his hang ups.
I'm almost 50 and I paint my toes. I do it for a different reason than the Mayor but the feeling is the same. I have seen people with blue hair and rings stuck in their face and no one says anything! Why should anyone stereotype guys/boys with pinted toes? It's cool. Check out my blog and show The Mayor he is not alone. Paint-On.
Mayor: you rock!
Mom: you're awesome!
The nail polish thing is something that really hits home here because we recently had a similar experience. My sister (yeah, she's the fun one!) offered to paint J and my toes last summer after J had noticed that she had little flowers on hers. She immediately got the 'stuff' and made ours up with bugs, lightning bolts and other imaginative designs. J and I thought they looked 'phat'!
My wife, however, had a cow when she saw it. She didn't think that guys should be 'decorated' and declared that we take it off immediately. Well, I wasn't so attached to it that it would have been a problem, but J had different ideas, so he argued that my sister's looked so cool, and Dad thought it was great, so why didn't Mom like it?
In the end, Mom settled for it staying - but only until it began chipping.
J and I got a lot of mileage out of those toes, lemme tell ya!
Thanks for posting such a cute and encouraging story!
I found this post after having an argument with my husband over acceding to my 3.5 year-old's request to paint his fingernails purple. (I've been looking for data points to support my position that it's totally normal for 3 and 4 year-olds to see nail polish and want it themselves. It's been an interesting search -- surprising how many parents seem panicked over stuff like this, and, as you discovered, how strongly gender-associated nail painting is! I maintain that nail polish will be the next diamond stud earring. ;)
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