JimShow – I Can Explain This Pic…

I can explain this photo. First off, that is NOT me with my hands where they are not supposed to be. That's me with the semi-bowl hair-cut on the right. I know. I am adorable.

That's actually my brother Robert on the left. He was around five-years old at the time and had developed a habit that some five year-olds do - grab themselves inappropriately. He did this often. He could not be stopped. Some could say he paved the way for rappers to do this today. All I know is, it embarrassed mom constantly.

As a family, we grew up pretty poor. My parents worked hard for their kids. In this case, my mom worked at KMART to save money to get something she always wanted - a family portrait. We had never had one. My mom was on a mission. She saved the money, made the appointment to get our pic taken. She got us all dressed up. We arrived at the studio to get our portrait taken. The photographer took the pics and we were on our way sans photo.

Me, my former wife with my brother Robert and his wife

Back in the day, cameras used film. It was not an instant process. It took about two weeks for us to get our portraits back via mail. When it arrived, my mom was really excited. She had already picked out a place in our living room where she could proudly hang it for all to see. My mom was like a kid on Christmas morning opening her gifts.

She removed the portrait from the packaging. She grabbed it with both hands and held it up to see it in all its glory. She was beaming from ear to ear with pride and accomplishment. Then her face started to change. She stared at it for what seemed to be forever. Then her mouth dropped. She then covered her mouth in what was disbelief. That's when we saw it.

My brother was caught in the moment grabbing himself right when the picture was taken.

My mom was mortified. She was so upset, she started to cry. When I saw it I started to laugh. My dad said, "Well, as much as he grabs himself, it was bound to happen."

That portrait sat there for the entire day. She would walk by and shake her head at the horror.

The next day she hung it up - in her bedroom.

You'll be happy to know he no longer grabs himself.

Today, we laugh about it. Sometimes, that's all you can do -  and sometimes, it's the best thing to do.

All My Best,

The JimShow