Over 18 years ago, I sat on the mauve living room floor at Pineview Estates and wrote the name "Michael" with every spelling I could come up with. I pressed Ben for which spelling he wanted to use. I am pretty sure that even if he answered, I did not listen, and I decided that "Mikael" was the spelling I would use. Well, as you may know, that spelling is not typically pronounced Michael. To add insult to injury, we call him "Eli".
Fast forward to a few months ago: I was very proud of myself for designing his high school graduation announcement on my own. I felt such immense pride as I typed that he is attending Pitt for engineering, and that he will be traveling to Ireland this summer. I chose a line from one of his favorite poems as inspiration, and included a slash that could represent a Cougar or a Bobcat - respective mascots for high school and college.
One recent day, after they had been printed and addressed, Eli, in his typical nonchalant fashion, picks one up, looks at it briefly and announces that his name is spelled wrong. Oy vey, mama.
#momfail #graduation #lovemykid