A Meta Moment

My favourite series these days is This is us. The series is in its second season now. I have cried during each and every episode at least once. In fact, if I don't cry in any of the future episodes, I am going to be hugely disappointed! The crying has become an expectation now. And the man responsible for this is Dan Fogelman.

Growing up, I never had pictures of anyone on any wall of any room I inhabited. It is not like I didn't watch movies and not like I didn't have favourite actors. It is not like I didn't listen to music and not like I didn't have favourite singers. I just didn't feel the need to declare allegiance in that way. In fact, I had words written and stuck on various surfaces like my desk and my door. That's what I did growing up!

ASid is like me. If it is up to him, the walls in his room would be bare. However, Hans has all sorts of superhero stuff on walls and on all sorts of surfaces in his room. To each his own!

Going back to Dan Fogelman, it is interesting how much I like his writing. Prior to a few months ago, I seemed to care mostly about the actors and the director; or at least, that was the extent of my knowledge about a movie or a series on TV. Now, I eagerly look through the credits to find out who the writer is. And I am quite delighted when I see Dan Fogelman's name.

It is not like I am finally going to hang a picture of someone on a wall in my home. I just want to meet this man and thank him for getting me through some days. Watching a movie written by him or watching This is us is like being in a therapy session where I feel lightened and unburdened by the experience without having to pay an exorbitant amount to someone for making me cry.

What I enjoy the most about Fogelman's writing is that it is about relationships. It is real. One day, I would want to write like that. Until then, I can watch his work in action and be inspired.

Sometimes the boys watch This is us with me. I am not sure what they get out of it, but they seem to enjoy the series. On the most recent episode (that I watched by myself), the 3 siblings in the series have a discussion about who their parents' favourite child was/is. At the end of the discussion, they conclude that it would be great if someone was recording their entire lives so they can go back and watch a video at a particular moment in their lives and know for sure!

As a parent, that episode got me thinking. Do I have a favourite child?! And the answer to that is a definitive NO!! I have favourite moments with each of the boys, but I cannot choose one of them over the other. It is like the other day when my mom was wondering if I care about her?! I do, but I do not call her as often as I used to before. There are days being a parent to the boys takes precedence over being a child to my parents. And there are days I am more Hans' mom than ASid's mom! The role I play or the person I choose to be with for a moment in time depends on whoever needs me the most at that point in time. Absolutely no favourites involved in this decision making!!

Boys, please don't ever waste any time discussing who my favourite child was/is!!

 

Noteworthy remarks: Apparently, there is such a thing as Meta-Moment. It is an emotional tool that helps people develop their emotional intelligence! However, when I used it as a title to this post, I just meant it as a moment about a moment!