Hangin’ Tough!

Could it be true??? New Kids On The Block getting back together???

The very thought makes me cringe, laugh, and….well, kind of smile a bit. After all, they were plastered on every inch of my bedroom walls during my big-banged, blue-eye-shadowed, tight-rolled-cuff junior high days….so why wouldn’t I be a bit excited curious to see what kind of ‘comeback’ they could possibly muster??

I remember slumber parties spent with my BFFs where we would stay up all hours of the night, clinging to a carefully unstapled magazine page of our favorite New Kid, talking about what it would be like if we got to actually MEET these gods. One night, we even put those treasured pictures under our pillows in hopes that it would help us dream of marrying them, kissing them….or some other kind of wonderfully innocent 13-year-old fantasy.

On one occasion we were all at my house one fun Friday night and a lucky one of us had just gotten the Step By Step video….a true treasure! So we waited for my parents–and big, mean ol’ brother–to go bed. We popped in that VHS and the magic began!! We still had our bangs plastered high and pants rolled so tight I’m pretty sure we could no longer feel our toes….and we began to dance…and sing. We were awesome! I mean dance move by dance move, word for word…..step by step….we were right there with NKOTB! Oh what those boys would have given to have us on stage with them!

Then came the flash! WHAT WAS THAT?!?!

We turned around in a moment of horror to discover my big brother standing there with a shit-eating grin….and a camera! BUSTED! Busted…in all of our glory. Suddenly we weren’t so cool anymore….we had been caught on film with our arms flailing, bodies twisted, feet kicking and permed hair flying! Really, what could be more horrifying to a girl of 13??

Every few years, I’ll stumble upon those pics at my mother’s house. And every time I want to shred them to pieces and burn those pieces and then stomp them. But that’s the junior high emotions resurfacing. Then my oh-so-grown-up self remembers that it’s just a ‘cute’ piece of my lovely history that should remain documented ’til the end of time. Ouch.

I know that one day my daughter will probably experience that ridiculous type of infatuation and I will try my darnedest to not be embarrassed for her, but to smile through it with her and remember what fun it is….and look forward to the day that she has better taste. I’ll help her tear down those Teen and Bop! pages and replace them with the rock stars that will be waaaay cooler in her high school days.

But those rock posters will never be as cool as my Alice in Chains, Nirvana and Cranberries posters that came along as my bangs began to grow, my pant legs went straight and the flannel became cooler than the Hypercolor shirts. 🙂