"I Hate Comedy."

I have 3 teenagers.  Okay, Keren's a tween, but she might as well be a teen.  This means 3 moody, annoying people who either never speak to us or speak at us nonstop.  In Jesse and Keren, who have always had their moods, it's just more intense, but in Gavriel, who has always been the happy child, this up and down moodiness is making me crazy.

Today was the ECRUSY opening program.  ECRUSY stands for Eastern Canadian Region of United Synagogue Youth.  It has 2 groups- Kadima for grades 5-8, and USY for grades 8-12.  The 8th graders switch hit.  My kids all love Kadima/USY, and always want to attend programming.  However, when we told the kids to get ready for the program, an "Epic Pool Battle," Gavi decided to take a stand.

"What?  I didn't know about that."  although I am sure I asked him before I registered him.  He then spent 25 minutes moping about going to a program he was sure to enjoy with people he likes and pizza.  What could be bad?  Jesse, who was there already, said Gavi looked pretty miserable when he arrived.

Nevertheless, when Sean and I arrived home after the kids, Jesse and Gavi talked at us for 45 minutes about how cool the evening was and the funny things that happened and the great plans for the year and and and and and...  You get the picture.  Finally we abandoned them in the kitchen to go to bed.  Actually, with the abandonment Gavi headed to bed too.  He didn't want to talk at Jesse.  Being there, Jesse already knew.

A couple of years ago we took the kids to see "Potted Potter: The Unauthorized Harry Experience."  It's an amazing rendition of the 7 Harry Potter books, including a live quidditch match on stage in just 70 minutes.  If you ever have the opportunity, even if you have never heard of or (amazingly) hate Harry Potter, go see it!  It's playing in Nashville next week.  Anyway, Gavi decided he didn't want to go.  He couldn't argue that he hated Harry Potter, so he finally said, lips pursed, arms crossed, foot stomping down, "I hate comedy!"  After we stopped laughing, we made him go anyway.  Gavi actually fell out of his seat he was laughing so hard.  The kids still quote lines from the evening.  Hating Comedy has become the name for anything the kids just don't want to do for no good reason.  During Sukkot Keren just didn't want to go to a friend's house- "Oh so you hate comedy" is our comment.  (She had a great time.)  You don't want to go to the great pool for the fun event with your friends- "So I guess you hate comedy too."  Usually it elicits a laugh.  Tonight Gavi was determined to mope.  He made it almost to the pool door.