When it comes to popularity, I win hands down… with my dogs. People are not so easy. 'How to be popular?' has been the age old question: What makes some people disgustingly popular while others aren't?
One could say people are popular because they are nice, but let's face it. Everyone knows a viciously mean person who is or was ultra popular.
I believe popularity comes from self-confidence and starts at a young age. On a field trip to the fire station, a fireman told the Kindergarten class to sit on the ground. While most kids lined up in a row, one little guy sat by himself several feet behind his classmates. Slowly little bodies slid back until the lone boy was surrounded by kids. --Okay, I confess: he was mine and has remained popular to this day.
I was never my son. It takes a lot of courage to sit by yourself as a young child and not worry whether or not folks will join you. I always wanted to be a part of the crowd in elementary school, but didn't have the confidence to be my own person.
Later in Junior High School when popularity meant following the crowd, I wore shoes that looked like they belonged to a bowler. Kids made fun of me for my shoes, but I liked them! I enjoyed rebelling against my peers while everyone else wanted to tackle teachers and parents. Not me! Interesting enough, no one joined me in my pride in being different.
A lot of us writer types may have been weird kids; but, if we were the exceptionally popular folks, we'd have nothing to write about, would we?
I leave you now with a clip from one of my favorite movies: Mean Girls.
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| My daughter on Halloween as Regina George |
I believe popularity comes from self-confidence and starts at a young age. On a field trip to the fire station, a fireman told the Kindergarten class to sit on the ground. While most kids lined up in a row, one little guy sat by himself several feet behind his classmates. Slowly little bodies slid back until the lone boy was surrounded by kids. --Okay, I confess: he was mine and has remained popular to this day.
I was never my son. It takes a lot of courage to sit by yourself as a young child and not worry whether or not folks will join you. I always wanted to be a part of the crowd in elementary school, but didn't have the confidence to be my own person.
Later in Junior High School when popularity meant following the crowd, I wore shoes that looked like they belonged to a bowler. Kids made fun of me for my shoes, but I liked them! I enjoyed rebelling against my peers while everyone else wanted to tackle teachers and parents. Not me! Interesting enough, no one joined me in my pride in being different.
A lot of us writer types may have been weird kids; but, if we were the exceptionally popular folks, we'd have nothing to write about, would we?
I leave you now with a clip from one of my favorite movies: Mean Girls.
16 comments:
Funny, you should write about this topic. I was known as Miss Piggy in HS (hated HS). I was definitely a loner and lived in my own world to avoid all the bullies. I was a sword-swinging princess in my own head. Yup. I was.
I also had a pair of bowling shoes that were blue with yellow stripes. They were especially attractive on my large feet. I like that your son was a leader and it sounds like he still is. Mean Girls is timeless.
I love Mean Girls. It's definitely one of my go to movies!
And I was definitely unpopular in school...or, at the very least, the one that never followed the crowd. It wasn't always fun...but I took pride in being my own person and making decisions for myself rather than have the popular kids make my decisions for me.
I had never seen "Mean Girl", but had heard about it here and there. After reading this post though I went and watched it for the first time today. LOL!
Thanks for the visits and comments. MB, I hope you enjoyed Mean Girls.
I think your son shows much more strength of character by doing his own thing instead of following the others and wanting to be part of the crowd.
I knew you just after HS and I never thought of you as anything other than cool. :)
Good for your son!! It takes a lot of balls to be your own person, especially while still in school.
Kathy
http://gigglingtruckerswife.blogspot.com/
Excellent that your son is so popular. I didn't do bad so I can't complain. Now I don't care.
Have a terrific day. :)
I remember realizing how important it was for some kids to be popular but I did my own thing and hung out with every crowd. My twin and I still hear how people in h.s. thought it was a good thing that we didn't care which crowd we hung with. Obviously, we were well known because we were twins and maybe that's what gave us some confidence.
Nice post, when i was a kid all i wanted to do is blend in the background, still do really.
Sshhh!Pretend i wasnt here, have a great week :-)
I haved lived my life mostly to my own drummer. The most 'part of the crowd' I have been, I think, is joining a blogging community. LOL! Nice write! Liked the clip.
again........you made me LOL!! Hey my mom made me wear these HIDEOUS black rubbers..and they were so hard to get off!! LOL i forgot all about them till i read your bowling shoe description...and that precious son of yours..wow. See you instilled that confidence in him; who cares about the crowd.
I remember once i had an unbelievable crush on the blonde hair neighbor boy. We would catch insects together and all of a sudden he stopped playing with me. He said he couldn't any more and it was after Susan Booth *yup STILL remember the day, whispered in his ear. It broke my heart..still don't know what she said to him but she would come over my house every day after that..and i didn't really want to play with her. One day saw them swinging on swings and ran off..i went home crying; i was in first grade. Forgot that whole season till now. YOU are something else ms. Joyce..adore you AND your writing ((hugs))
Know what I think? I think you were and still are very popular, you just didn't know it! That's because being well known doesn't necessarily equal popular, right? Those who know you, love you=popular!
Know you and love you!
Your son rocks! And you did, too. Truly, nothing as attractive as someone who knows who s/he is, and not afraid to follow a different drum.
Great stories - and I want some bowling shoes!
I've always found it kind of amusing that in general, teenagers seem to crave being different--just so their brand of different is exactly like all of their friends. ;O)
Weird kids rock. Weird adults too, for that matter.
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