Groovy Manna

For as long as I can remember, I always imagined myself as a groovy Mumma when I grew up. You know the type, where my son's friends would love to come over and hang out because 'You're Mum is, like, totes cool. We can stay up all night and eat ice cream out of the container,' etc... I wouldn't dis their music choices with 'What is this noise anyway?' because I love a little funky doof doof or bang bang music when the occassion calls for it, and I'd have my finger on the pulse of what was happening in society from Twitter, to Facebook, to YouTube, to iPads, to, um, others.... I'd never lose touch of what was happening, because I simply couldn't imagine getting (insert shiver down the spine here)...OLD!


Even if I did become older that didn't mean I had to lose myself in an 'old' world was it? No way! I can just see E and I listening to Triple J together when he's 15 and deep in the throws of his my-life-sucks-man era. But alas, it seems my Groovy Mumma status has ended before it ever really began.

Yesterday, driving around looking at houses (that should've been a sign right there) I was flipping radio stations searching for something half decent to listen to. 'God, there's nothing but shit on the radio these days,' I heard myself say to E, who was sound asleep and couldn't care less what was on.  Then, I found it. My afternoon was saved by The 3pm Pick Up with Yumi Stynes and Chrissie Swan.

In a show obviously designed for women working the afternoon school run, Yumi and Chrissie (two points for two faves of mine) were talking about the second anniversary of Patrick Swayze's death and what they loved or loathed about Dirty Dancing. Hooray! Something I could completely relate to. Not only was I laughing away at their tales of not being allowed to watch it when it first came out in 1987 because they were too young, but I was replaying my own experience in my mind. I remember it like it was yesterday. I was being babysat by a friend of the family and her daughter when they put the VHS on, only to be told I couldn't watch it because I was to young - which just made me hide around the corner and watch it without them knowing anyway.

OMG! We were linked in some round about way. BFF's from a distance! For the first time in my life I was desperate to call in to the show and share my story (yet another sign). Not only did they dissect Dirty Dancing but then Yumi went on to talk of her love of the movie Encino Man starring Brendan Fraser and Pauly Shore.

Well, that was me done. I had died and gone to radio heaven! I was on the exact same level as Yumi, having been able to quote the movie when I was in my early teens and thought Pauly Shore was the funniest man EVER! Plus it was Brendan Fraser's first big movie role and he was the new 'It' boy in Hollywood, so I had posters of him everywhere. I can't believe I am admitting this, but I was convinced that after my love affair with Christian Slater (circa Pump up the Volume, Kuffs and Untamed Heart) was over I'd meet Brendan and my life would be a Hollywood romance. Aaaaah, those were the days. When daydreams and teenage celebrity crushes were you're entire world!

In the time it took for Chrissie and Yumi to gossip about their favourite 80/90s movie moments (approx 1 hr) I went from thinking I could be a hip up-to-the-moment-kinda-cool Mumma, to coming to terms with the knowledge that I am, and forever will be, an in-bed-before 9pm, ABC-news-watching, easy-listening-radio-playing Manna (Mother/Nanna)...not that there's anything wrong with that!

Yes, I think there might be a few 'cool' elements hidden away inside, somewhere, but I have to face the sad truth, how can I be a hip Mumma when kids today are sooooo different and won't understand my TV/movie/cartoon/celebrity references? I'm sure fans of the new 90210 think Luke Perry is awful - if they know who he is at all! (Another drool-worthy 90s heart throb of mine.)

To relive my youth (because let's face it at 31 I'm soooooo old) I'm heading to the DVD store to get out a selection of Christian and Brendan's finest. See, I am old, I still go to the bloody DVD store instead of downloading illegal copies like everyone else! Maybe I should quit while I'm behind?