My mom comes to visit us from California twice a year. Once in the Fall and once in the Spring. To see the kids? Definitely.
So she was here two weeks ago and we were all sitting together, having dinner. The girls were chit chatting about their days, Jason was asking them all sorts of questions and my mom and I were busy laughing at Brody.
Why, you ask? Because my dear sweet little blondie was squishing grapes between his fingers, smooshing them into the tray-hole in his booster seat and then looking up at us. All bright eyed. And cute. And naughty!
“He is such a mazik!” I declared. “Just like you” I teased Jason at the very same time that my Ima said the same exact thing. Looking around, I wondered, “Who is she talking to?” It couldn’t possibly be…Me?!
A mazik is a mischievous, fun-loving naughty little thing. So not the way I view myself.
Before I could respond, “I so don’t think so Ima,” she quickly jumped into a few good old family stories. Oldies but goodies. You know the ones. The kind that you giggle over when you’re first dating your significant other. The kind that you laugh about for years to come. The kind that the kids ask to hear over-and-over-and-over again. The kind that are way, way funnier when they’re about someone else.
But there’s no stopping an Ima once she gets going. Especially my Ima. So she told everyone about the time that I hid her watch and her wedding ring.
And the time that I went around the neighborhood with my BFF selling um- rocks to really, really nice neighbors who bought them. Bless them, right?! And the time that I couldn’t get my downstairs neighbor’s attention, so I threw a banana peel on her porch, which she slipped on and then, indeed, gave me some “attention.” And then she says, “Or how you used to rearrange dad’s pens just to bother him.” The others I’ll admit to, but that one I never did. My mom, slightly blushing but mostly laughing, announces that…
Wait for it…
That she rearranges the pens on my extremely organized Dad’s desk just to mess with him (Are you reading this, Dad?!).
So I ask you, who is the mazik here? Besides Brody?
When Jason and I found out that we were having a boy it was actually a surprise. Not a in-the-delivery-room surprise, mind you. Bless all of you who can wait until then. We (I) could not. We had a fancy-shmancy ultrasound at about 10 weeks (new since my pregnancy with Chloe) and the clinic we were at was participating in some sort of research focusing on the direction of the baby tail. Those of you who know me well know that I’m not exactly what you’d call “science-y” so that’s all I know. At that tail-direction-checking ultrasound the technician thought that we were having a girl. So even though the pregnancy felt different, I was carrying differently, and, can I just say, my skin looked great, I believed the tech and went with the girl verdict.
So at the real-deal twenty week ultrasound when “there’s just nothing else that can be” was announced, we actually were surprised. And excited. And hopeful. I loved the idea of a little man for Jason to hang out with. Play ball with. Wrestle with. Wear baseball caps with. Could I be any more stereotypical here? Forgive me, those were pregnancy-hormone induced thoughts, wishes, dreams.
But I was also oh-so-very nervous. I know girls. I get girls. I’m all about the outfits and the hair ribbons and the nail polish. And even though Kayli and Chloe are very, very different creatures, the three of us get each other.
My first few thoughts at the ultrasound were how do you potty train a boy? Why are people always talking about them peeing on you? And I don’t really want penises flying about. Embarrassing but all true, friends.
What I didn’t know was what loves little boys can be. When Brody snuggles or says “Mine Mom” or “Love you!” I melt all over the place. When I sing “Five Little Ducks” and get to the sad mama duck part, he hugs me. He falls asleep with me sitting next to him. And he gives kisses, hugs and hand holds every chance he gets. He’s also extremely sensitive and I really love that about him.
The other thing that I didn’t know about was the pure silliness and comedy that comes with having a little boy. Brody’s first full sentence (two words, but still) was “I hungry.” His second was, “Girl-girls NUTS!”
He has a scrunchy silly face. And the best belly laugh EVER. As he toddles backwards down the driveway looking right at me and dabbles a toe into the street, I see a twinkle in his eye that’s just so daring. So exciting. So. Much. FUN! And I think how very much I adore my little mazik.
Unrolling the toilet paper, shredding napkins, unloading books, diapers, kitchen utensils, tissues, using a step stool to reach way, way more than he should. Impish? Sneaky? Naughty? Yes, yes and yes. But oh-so-very-adorable. And priceless. And cute. And I just want to squeeze him to pieces. He is the very essence of a mazik. Not necessarily helpful, but not harmful. “A clever kid whose full of mischief.” Indeed.
Do Jason and I treat Brody differently because he’s a boy? Not sure. Perhaps, though, we do treat Brody differently because he’s the baby, the last.ย Some of the mazik-business seems cuter, and less stressful, when it’s the last time that a toddler will be tearing through your home.
I don’t think I’ll ever really and truly get all of his boy stuff. Like why is it funny when he toots? And why is everything a car? Vroom vroom says the carrot! Or a ball-ball. Watch out here comes the carrot! But I’m okay with that. I can happily raise and continue to be surprised by my dear, sweet, mischievous, fun loving, sensitive little mazik and love every last muddy, bug-loving, dog-kissing, off-the-floor-eating bit of him.
I was smiling all through your article and I’m still smiling now. When we knew we were having a boy (US, 13 weeks) I thought “What will I do with a boy? I don’t know anything about boy stuff!” Well, you live and learn! I love having a boy. I love his energy and playful, curious nature. He is always testing us! Sounds a lot like your Brady, actually (who is super cute) ๐
My boy also thinks passing gas is the funniest thing in the world, and in case you miss it, he announces “Make noise with my tushy!” and laughs. He’s two, btw. I wonder what he’ll be doing when he’s five… ๐
This also had me smiling all the way through!
So there’s a NAME for it! My grandpa used to say goodbye to me with his adage, “Get in enough trouble to have fun, but not so much that you make your mother angry.” A true mazik himself, he was encouraging me to be too ๐
What a cutie-pie. In our family it’s my daughter who’s the more mischievous one, when she gets that glint in her eye you better watch out!
I often see a car driving around my neck of the woods, whose license plate reads: “MAZIK”.
I wasn’t familiar with the word until someone at shul began referring to my younger son as a “mazik” and I asked for the definition.
You and I both share some “mazel” in that we both are proud moms of a little “mazik”!
Yours is a sweetie.
Thank you for making my day with *your* words, ladies!
Debbie– we’ll have to keep comparing notes through the years! I can only imagine what 5 will bring!
Lisa– as always, thank you! ๐
Sara– I absolutely *love* your Grandpa’s words of wisdom! A mazik, indeed!
Robin– it’s *always* about the glint-in-the-eye, isn’t it?!
& Pearl– too funny about the license plate! & mazels to us, indeed, on our sweeties!!!
hee hee. very hard to get *mad* at that kind of naughtiness? it’s just so cute!!!
Finding your blog through my blog was a wonderful surprise. Thanks for stopping by today. Let’s be friends.
Congrats on all the good stuff happening to you and your family!
lor, i know right?! i’m not exactly sure what we’re teaching him when we burst out laughing when he say, zerbit-spits at us (new as of yesterday)! thanks for the comment– always fun to hear from you!
& erica, thanks so much for the comment. new friends are indeed, a wonderful surprise! ๐
Our third is a mazik too. Though we often refer to him as a “vilde chaya.”
Exhausting…but always entertaining!
And I love Sara’s grandfather’s mazik-guidance.
a wild animal, huh? yikes! ๐ indeed, have to love the m’dor l’dor life lesson there! ๐
great piece. i always thought of a mazik in a confined halachik context, i like this application.
hi neil! thanks so much for the note! it’s fun to look at/ see words in a new light, isn’t it?! ๐