WWDGD?

I have a million dollar idea.  I’ve decided I am going to create a line of clothing and jewelry with the letters “WWDGD” on each item.  WWDGD stands for “What Would Dave Grohl Do?”  Let me explain…

For those who don’t know, Dave Grohl is the singer and guitarist for the band Foo Fighters.  One month ago, Dave broke his leg onstage at a show in Sweden.  Instead of stopping the show there, he had the medic hold his ankle (which he thought was the sole injury) in place while he sang and played guitar from a chair.

After that show, 46 year-old Dave had a decision to make.  He could cancel the upcoming shows, but he knew that people were counting on him.  So, instead, he designed a tricked-out throne, from which he would sing and play during shows.  And sing and play he did going forward; for three solid hours each show.

His injury became a running joke throughout the show, in fact the tour is now known as the “Broken Leg Tour.”

I have always said that Dave Grohl is the coolest person on the planet.  He gained even more cool points with me when he appeared in the movie The Muppets as the drummer of the knock-off band, The Moopets. However, how he dealt with this injury takes him to a whole other dimension of cool.

I know that not all of us have access to a throne, though we damn well deserve one.  But Dave teaches us a valuable lesson.  There is always a solution.  There is always a way to keep moving forward, no matter what part of us is broken.  So, the next time you are faced with an obstacle, think to yourself, WWDGD? (patent pending)

No One Is To Blame (Except Mom)

Recently, I was having a conversation with a friend about blogs; about how we both previously wrote them but had neglected them.  I told her that I had not been inspired by anything.  Well, that changed today.  Witness the following text conversation between me and my tween, who was at camp at the time and looking through her swim bag:

Tween: MOM

Me: Yes?

Tween: DID YOU TAKE MY BRUSH OUT

Me: No

Tween: Then where is it?!?!,

Me: I did see a brush on the floor

Tween: and you didn’t tell me ugh

And that, dear readers, is the epitome of the mother/tween relationship.  See, moms of tweens are supposed to cater to our daughters’ every need, even before they know they need it, and if that need is not met, no matter how far removed we actually are from it, it is always our fault.

I have been blamed for just about everything. Supermarket is out of her favorite cookie.  My fault.  Rip in her shirt.  My fault.  No wifi at the bagel store.  My fault. No clean underwear.  My fault (OK, that one is kind of my fault but we are working slowly towards her doing her own laundry.)

I wonder why it’s so easy for mom to be the punching bag.  I think back to when I was as a tween (though I don’t believe they had that term in the pre-social media, meme and Disney Channel era.)  Yes, I was the same way with my mom.  I wonder why my tween is not that way with her dad.  I guess it is because no matter how involved fathers are in their child’s life (and my daughter’s dad is very involved), moms are always seen as the primary care-taker.  When one cog in the ever-moving machine of daily life gets stuck and the system breaks down, Chief Engineer Mom is the one to blame.

It’s hard not to get defensive. While I try to ignore these comments, sometimes I snap.  This time I chose to ignore.  A minute later I received a text that read “sorry that sounded mean.”  Victory! Then a moment later another text asking if I can take her to get her nails done.  I’ll take it.