"Butt Flip"

Earlier this week, after a long day of household projects, my testosterone rich family sat down for dinner. Hours of painting had left little energy for anything more than quesadillas. No fruit, no veggies, no tortilla chips – just quesadillas, with a side of soda. While we ate we discussed gymnastics. It started as a simple conversation about cartwheels and backflips. I retold tales of childhood round-offs and back-walk-overs. Although I tried to describe my graceful moves, they were disappointed to learn that I no longer had the gift of flip. Between bites, each child displayed their very best cartwheels. Mike and I praised their techniques. After cajoling them back to the table to finish their dinner, Greyden informed us that he was capable of doing “butt flips”. It was at this moment I should have known that things were going to take a swift turn south. Literally.

In the blink of an eye, Greyden bolted to the middle of the open floor. He whipped down his shorts and underwear. Dropped to the ground. Laid on his back and flipped his little legs over his head. Thus producing a—leave nothing to the imagination—full moon. A “butt flip”.

I’m sure a mother of girls would have politely informed my mooner that sharing your butt with people at dinner is impolite and a bit rude. But, I’m the mother of boys.

I laughed right-out-loud. Not the polite chuckle of a proper lady, but a long and loud guffaw matching the sidesplitting laughter of my mate and sons. Our hysterics spurred Greyden on, thus causing him to repeat his acrobatics multiple times throughout the rest of our meal.

There was something delightfully magical about our family’s chorus of laughter that refreshed and nourished my soul. Even now, as I write, I giggle and smirk at the carefree (and totally inappropriate) antics of my four year old son. This is a story that will someday horrify him, and will bring amusement to our family for far longer than he would like. I gotta say, I never thought a full moon would bring such sunshine to my day.