Explaining.

It's always awkward to ask my mom to take pictures of me (to put as my profile picture on Facebook, of course, what else are pictures for) because she always does the old school "Okay, now pose" right after she comes over and fixes my fringe and tucks my hair into my ears like she always did for our graduation photos back in grade school.

I try to explain to her that no, I want it to look spontaneous, almost like a stolen shot, you know? So that my friends on Facebook don't make fun of me?

"Why would your friends make fun of you?"

"Coz it's stupid to have pictures looking all formal and shit."

"Fine, do your own pose."

So I throw up what I think to be a gang sign, because I've always been awkward about having my picture taken to begin with, and doing some kind of satirical 7arakat has always made me feel less awkward about it. And then I make what I think to be a silly face, part winking, part I-dunno-what. And since I also happen to be wearing my new Eid jallabiya dress, it's gonna be hilarious. You know, coz real gangstas wear new Eid jallabiya dresses?

So my mom looks at me for a moment, then takes the picture.

"And your friends won't make fun of you for THIS pose?"

"No, mom. It's funny, but they won't make fun OF me."

"So what's that thing you're doing with your hand?"

"It's a gang sign. It's not REALLY a gang sign."

"What?!"

".... Never mind."

If I could have a dollar for every time I had to explain something to my parents and couldn't.