How Baby

Gentle reader, you probably already know this, but I was not a popular child – the spectrum of my social circles ran the gamut from ‘literally no one’ at points of elementary school to ‘begrudgingly, one of the Weird Kids’ in high school, and that’s the kind of thing that leaves a mark, no matter how much you grow and flourish after you graduate.

My biggest concern with Momo going to school and being around other kids all the time was that she’d, unfortunately, take after me too much: too weird, too tactless, too sensitive, doesn’t have the right ‘look’, doesn’t watch the right TV shows, you know, whatever kids will find to make fun of you.  I’ve always felt it like some weird pecking order; it doesn’t matter what it is, if the other kids decide they don’t like you, nothing you do or say really matters. Pick on the weak.

(I single-handedly delayed the adoption of Tamagotchis at my school, because I was the first person to get one and therefore they were poison for a few weeks. My greatest feat of social engineering to date.)

She doesn’t need to be popular, obviously. But I mean… I want other kids to at least like her? And for her not to be teased or picked on like I was, and to not have to watch her unique spark become dimmer in self-defense. Please, let her get through school with the normal level of baggage, not anything more.

Which is why I was so relieved to overhear some of the other kids excited to see Momo, and talking about stuff she’s good at that they admire. She’s gonna have friends, you guys. She might be okay.

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I’m going to be at Edmonton Comic and Entertainment Expo this weekend!! Table AA604, in the artist alley. I hear it’s, uh, snowing?? Please don’t sell all the snow boots before Thursday, I was counting on buying some there!! But warm at the convention center, I’ll have hard copies of Motherlover, new posters and postcards, the new Mom Jeans zine, and all sorts of goodies. See you there!