Almost Royal

No one can resist Cael's charms.  He is so irresistible, in fact, that as Homecoming approached for the Solon school district (a neighboring area and where Joel teaches), Cael was asked to serve as the Homecoming prince for this year's festivities.

I didn't think he'd agree, to tell you the truth.  The prospect of standing in front of a large crowd with hundreds of eyes on me makes my skin crawl.  But for Cael, who thrives on attention, the prospect of standing in front of a large crown with hundreds  of eye on him is what sealed the deal.

Oh, and the fact that he'd be a prince.

I heard a lot about how his merits indicated that he was better suited for a role as the King, but given the alternative of living life as a commoner, he quickly agreed and plans were made.

Before we knew it, Homecoming was upon us and it was time for Cael to make his royal debut.  Prince or not, his undeniably handsome looks found him being pulled from one photo to another, probably in his element, while I snapped incessant photos from the sidelines where Graham had to be physically restrained from stealing the bags of unopened candy intended for the parade. 

Cael rode in a convertible with the princess, an adorably shy girl that shunned his friendly handshake when they first met but was undoubtedly taken by his presence and within minutes, was plotting their plan of attack for the parade.  Once out of my line of sight, we packed up and headed over to the stadium where my son would be presented to the crowd.

He was so cute.  Ever the gentleman, he held her hand. 

He waved to the crowd.  They smiled and laughed.


He escorted her to their position.  And then he pretended to assault her with an invisible weapon.

Because I was flanked by dozens of screaming girls, anxious for the Homecoming Kind reveal, I couldn't get to Cael to talk some sense into him.  So I called my husband, down on the field but off on the sidelines, to snap into action and prevent an even worse mimed attack.

Mock-fighting is nearly inevitable with rough-and-tumble boys.  But with no girls in our home and this very public setting making my palms sweat, I could feel my last vestige of control slipping away and I had to hold myself back from shouting loudly at him in full-on stage-mom fashion. 

Joel was able to give our young prince "the look", which miraculously kept his antics at bay until the pep rally was over, and Cael was free to burn off his excess energy on the football field. 

In the end, I'm glad he had the opportunity to do something special that most kids never get to experience, and I hope that Prince Graham will get to reign somewhere, someday as well. 

"Mom, I want peanut butter and jelly, not ham!"

"Sorry, you'll have to eat what I made."

"But I'm the Prince and the ruler.  You do what I say."

Maybe a Burger King crown will do...