My mother recently gave me the old family photo album. The problem, you see, was she did so in the presence of my daughter. My daughter was beyond elated. Contained within those stiff, aged pages were photographs of her father, several of which were perfect ammunition for blackmail.
"Oh, these are going online," she said, and followed it with a frighteningly nefarious giggle. Where would they end up? Facebook? Google+? Twitter? All of the above and then some? She's a crafty little thing and may even be capable of hacking my blog and humiliating me in my own little corner of cyberspace.
So I did what any self-respecting man my age would do. I grabbed the least damaging photograph of my younger self that I could find, scanned it into the computer and at the last minute, signed up for the Baby Face Bloghop that Trisha from Word + Stuff was hosting.
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| When you're cool, you just know it. |
So here it is. This photograph of my hip little self was taken around 1965 while living in Hawaii. Mom had a thing for hats and bow-ties. And I mean she had it bad. I strutted through my entire preadolescence like this. I still carry the emotional scars. Mom still thinks it's cute. Those scars run deep.
But at least now I shouldn't have to worry about my daughter posting those really embarrassing baby pictures of mine anywhere. At least, that's the hope.
That picture is just too precious! Some people don't have pictures of themselves when they're little. What a treasure!
ReplyDeleteThis is true; many don't. Thanks :)
DeleteSoooooo classic. Serious. That beauty is priceless...
ReplyDeleteMe thinks me not as priceless these days. ;-)
DeleteOhhh, so cute! Loving the outfit!
ReplyDeleteMom, you didn't hijack Kyra's account did you? ;-)
DeleteThat's the one I was wanting to post, so you're safe. And I would never hack your blog. lol
ReplyDeleteGlad to know I'm safe. (Is said safety permanent?) In any event, my dear daughter, I still hold you accountable for my doing this. But I loves ya. ;-)
DeleteYou look classy in that hat!
ReplyDeleteI thought it was more pimp-in-training, but I'll take classy. LOL
DeleteThat's a prize winning smile and a 100% confident attitude. Too bad photography didn't exist when I was a hatchling. In my case, I have to rely on drawings.
ReplyDeleteI'm told that I was a happy baby... except for the day our neighbor could no longer handle seeing me running around with the remnants of a three-year-old pacifier forever hanging from my mouth and flushed the thing. There was no substitute, I'm told. I suppose we all have our horror stories. ;-)
DeleteHey, on anyone else, those bow ties might look silly, but you pull it off with panache.
ReplyDeleteFun hop!
I suppose they're cute at two... At twelve... not so much. LOL
DeleteHang on. They get cute again at 80.
DeleteIf I make it to 80, I'll be happy to wear them both again!
DeleteLove the picture! You pull off the hat and bow tie well. My brother's went through a bow tie stage but they never paired them with hats. Suspenders were more their style.
ReplyDeleteSuspenders may be the one article of clothing Mom never tortured me with. I do kind of miss the cufflinks from those bygone days though.
DeleteMales in suspenders.... I squirmed until I remembered that this means something different in American English than it does in British.
DeleteWhat we call suspenders I believe you call garter belts. I trust your mother didn't trick you out in those.
LOL, thankfully no! I do find it interesting how certain words carry completely different connotations across the pond. I'd love to start compiling a list.
DeleteYou look quite dapper. My kids always say...wounds heal and chicks dig scars. So, using that logic, you owe your mom a thank you.
ReplyDeleteI do owe Mom a lot of thanks for a lot of things. I'll have to ask my wife if she digs my emotional scars. LOL
DeleteThat is too adorable for words :-)
ReplyDeleteThank you, Deniz. I've noticed that 45 years later, women still can't find words to describe me. Not really sure it's because I'm adorable though. ;-)
DeleteYou did have a certain panache with that hat and bow tie!
ReplyDeletehehe Mom should really have had a daughter first and got that dress-up bug out of her system. Alas, since I never had a sister, my brother and I endured dress-me-up all the way to puberty. Oh, the scars, the scars. :)
DeleteNow THAT is swagger for ya! Great pic! :-)
ReplyDeleteSome Dark Romantic
Upon reflection, that might actually be an accurate description. :)
DeleteWhenever my daughter sees a kid picture of me, she says, "You were such a dork!"
ReplyDeleteShe doesn't realize I was the epitome of 70s cool.
Yes, I suppose we were cool back in our day. Funny how our children always see the best in us, right? LOL
DeleteWhat a dapper little man you were! I can't imagine there is anything to blackmail you with... but of course I lived through the 70s too and know how cool some of those looks were. Wait till the young men of today look at themselves in sagging britches and they realized how stupid they look! Thanks for dropping by!
ReplyDeleteCheers!
It's been a while since I'd heard the word "dapper" used. I suppose it's appropriate considering the picture is decades (and I could add another plural "decades" but I won't) old. And oh my, photographs from the 70s? ::shudders:: That's one decade I try not to recall... except for some of the music.
DeleteHey, I like that hat! With your hands in your pockets, you looked like one cool little dude!
ReplyDeleteAnd I apparently thought I was all that and then some. LOL
DeleteYou're right, this isn't damaging at all, lol. SOOOO cute!!!
ReplyDeleteThanks. Funny how we lose that cuteness as we age. I still have the happy though and that's the main thing.
DeleteWhat an absolutely dapper look. I wouldn't mind dressing like that now. I'd even break down to wear the bow tie.
ReplyDeleteLee
Wrote By Rote
I wore so many hats when I was young that one never touches my head now. Oddly enough, my son (and his son) both love them and they pull it off well.
DeleteAw, cute hat and bow tie! Someone else posted a picture with a frilly dress and bonnet, and said her mom dressed her like that every day, so you guys are twins from afar.
ReplyDeleteShannon at The Warrior Muse
I saw that and thought it was adorable. And yes, her comments hit way too close too home. LOL
DeleteStylin'! Your younger self could easily pull this outfit off, even if it ended up scarring you in the long run. ;)
ReplyDeleteI think my stylin' got stuck in the 80s. I loved the fact that 80s neckties couldn't serve as bibs like those of the 70s that I still prefer them. I guess everything runs in cycles. I suppose there are worse scars to carry. ;-)
DeleteThe hat...the HAT! Love it. Now I know what inspired Justin Timberlake's plunge into the fedora world. He saw you slay the look in this picture!
ReplyDeleteWell, the copycat should be paying me royalties, right? LOL
DeleteThat's a first-rate photo. You looked happy, at any rate!
ReplyDeleteThanks! I joke about the scars, but I really did have a happy batch of early years.
DeleteHey Jeff! Great to meet you! Wow you have 3 grandkids already at 48??? Amazing. I love that pci. I wish hats and bowties were still in cuz there's just something way cool about them. :)
ReplyDeleteOh yes, 3 grandsons, ages 4, 5 and almost 6. Love 'em immensely. Lots of joy and fun. I just wish my old bones could tolerate a little more rough-housing with them.
DeletePersonally I think the hat is very cool! I understand what you mean though - my mom tried to dress me in little skirt-suits with ruffly shirts - and I still bear the scars. Other people around me wonder why I want to wear t-shirts and jeans - I'm still in teen rebellion in my early forties.
ReplyDeleteMy rebellion manifested itself in hair length. Wore it long until my early 40s. After becoming a "paw paw" I figured it was about time to at least give the appearance of growing up. Maybe one day I'll post a photo of Jeff "the hipster". :)
DeleteVery snazzy outfit!
ReplyDelete"Snazzy"?? That's one of Mom's words. She did have a flair for dressing up us boys. She's (thankfully) resorted to dressing up herself nowadays. And "snazzy" still applies. :)
DeleteAdorable!! Love the hat.
ReplyDeleteBased on Mike's comment, maybe I could give Timberlake a run for his money? Nah, my head's much too big for that hat now. ;-)
DeleteOh look at you!! You heart-breaker you!
ReplyDeleteI'm liable to start blushing any minute now. :) BTW, congrats (again) on that short story! And don't ask me why I misspelled your name--not once but twice!--on those other blogs. Can we blame fatigue? Of course, proofreading today, I discovered I'd used "reigns" instead of "reins" not once, but twice, in my book. At least I'm consistent!
DeleteLove this picture - what a great outfit! haha. I can see why your mum still thinks this is cute! ;)
ReplyDeleteThanks for participating in my blogfest! :)
I've had a lot of fun with it, Trisha! I managed to hit each blog on the hop too! Very well done!
DeleteYes, you were definitely cool! What good is having children if we moms can't dress them up the way we want them, at least when they're little? :)
ReplyDeleteI do believe moms everywhere would agree with you, Susan. Moms have that soft spot for anything cute, probably so they can "oooh and aaah" and pinch pudgy little cheeks. LOL
DeleteI love the outfit. This is a stylish baby pic.
ReplyDeleteA shame it's too small for me now. I could use a little style. ;-)
DeletePre-emptive strike! Did it work?
ReplyDeleteSo far, yes! I'm pleasantly surprised, again, so far. :-)
Delete