Mommy Crushes

I feel like I should feel some shame about this, but it’s the truth and I have to get it off my chest. Here goes… Sometimes, when I’m home without children, I watch episodes of the Imagination Movers on the Disney Channel, just because I have a crush on Rich.

There, that wasn’t so bad. Sometimes I even listen to their CD in the car after I’ve dropped the kids of at childcare. Hmmmm, still not feeling too ashamed. I might as well also tell you that I also have a crush on Steve from Blue’s Clues.

Now, I feel like I’ve crossed a line.

It does seem kind of weird, I mean as far as I know, my Mom never had a crush on Mr. Rogers, or Mr. Hooper, or Mr. McFeely, et al. (By the way, why were we never too disturbed by the fact that the Speedy Delivery dude’s last name was McFeely? These days, that would be a nickname for a Dr. on Grey’s Anatomy. McDreamy, McSteamy, and McFeely.) The thing is, I love musicians (I was always a sucker for the guitar guy at the party. You know that guy). I also love kids. Ergo, I love musicians who are great with kids. That explains Rich. I suppose now would also be a good time to confess that when the Imagination Movers did their first tour and came to Minneapolis, I bought tickets for my family under the guise of taking my three year old (who is a legitimate fan, for the record) for his birthday. My day was made when Mover Rich ventured all the way up to the nosebleeds where we were sitting to interact with the fans. I was seven months pregnant with the twins, and I’ll be damned if I wasn’t prepared to throw elbows at any toddler fan that got in my way so that I could get a private moment with Rich. I wasn’t above pretending to go into labor for a second of his attention. It’s possible that I was more excited that my three year old. (Okay, I’m feeling appropriately ashamed, now.)

I don’t know what it is about Steve from Blue’s Clues that turns my crank. He seems goofy, and funny, and like he doesn’t take himself too seriously. I mean really, he does a TV show with a cartoon dog for goodness sake. AND THE DOG IS BLUE! WHO HAS EVER SEEN A BLUE DOG? It takes some good self-esteem to act opposite a silent blue dog week after week to make a buck.

I probably give this a little too much thought (gee, ya think an entire blog devoted to the topic of mommy crushes on kiddie show stars is too much thought?), but I wonder how these guys got into this business. Like Steve for example, was he hoping to make it big as a serious actor, and then when he got the role on Blue’s Clues, did he think, “well, it’s a start…?” Or did he go to Hollywood looking specifically for a role on a kiddie show? Or what about the Movers? I gotta tell you, their music really is good (and I’m not just saying that because I’m a psycho mommy fan), but I wonder if they ever feel trapped in the kiddie music genre.

I suppose that the real reason I’m coming out of the Mommy Crush Closet is to tell you you’re not alone (or, if you think this is crazy, I guess my message is that I’m certifiably nuts). If you have a Mommy Crush, you are a normal, red blooded, healthy mommy. Own it! In fact, share it here by commenting, LOUD AND PROUD!