Having a spastic moment

“Mom can I ask you something?” It’s my 12 year-old son, asking in the way only a pre-teen can, with that mixture of fear, vulnerability and flip confidence.

“You know how you say I can ask about any word and you’ll tell me the truth?”

“Uh-huh,” I answer, and wonder what smutty, nasty, or otherwise inappropriate word or phrase was coming. Some newly coined teen slang I never heard and probably did not want to add to our family lexicon?

“What does `spaz’ mean?”

Spaz? As in spastic? As in clumsy, awkward, two-left feet spastic? Which, even I must admit, sort of describes my otherwise fabulous son. Hmmm. Do I explain? Dare I risk damaging the shaky self-image every pre-teen inhabits?

“You know, like when someone says, `you’re spazzing me out,’” he adds.

Oh.

“It means you’re driving me crazy, or you’re cracking me up.”

“Oh. I get it,” he smiles. Well, thanks Mom. Goodnight.”

Good night and good luck to you too, moms and dads everywhere.