R.B.F., mean muggin’, or stink face…
Whatever you want to call it — an unintentional look on your face that makes you appear annoyed or irritated — it’s when your face gives a look that could kill, but you don’t mean it…or do you?
My daughter has exhibited this look for most of her life and is the inspiration behind this poem.
Your eyebrows were so angry,
Your face with a scowl
When it came time for pictures,
You always looked so foul.
You never looked happy
Your hands in a fist
When people ask what’s wrong
I’d say, “She’s always like this.”
You were always so happy
But your emotions you weren’t concealing,
Every time the camera came out,
Your face showed what you were feeling.
Not ever a smile
A grin or a smirk,
Just a mean angry face like your 40 and hate work
We tried to make you smile,
With silly faces and tickles
Even bribed you with candy, and still couldn’t get any giggles.
So when you look back at our family photos
Just know that nothing was wrong
We are not sure why you didn’t smile
and why you took so long.
But now that you have grown,
There are more expressions on your face
You can now smile on command
Wherever the place.
But you still have your moments,
When your angry face is on display.
We love you and your personality,
we wouldn’t have you any other way.
School pictures, professional family photos, or even just random candids, every time a camera was out, this was the look I always got. For the longest time, I thought she would never smile for pictures and that I would need to stop getting them professionally done until she would start smiling so that they would be picture perfect.
One of the hardest lessons I have learned as a mom is that you cannot control everything. I still love these pictures of her just the same as if she were smiling in them. They make me laugh and they will definitely be great stories to tell or conversation topics in the future when we look back at them.
So, if you have one of these RBFers, don’t fret; you just need to allow your child’s true personality to shine through…’cause eventually, they. will. smile.
