When Does Fun become Self-conscious?

We listen to children's songs on the way to school every day.  My children like lots of the songs and are even starting to sing along to some of them now.  There are a few songs that have things you can do along with the song while you sing, such as in the song, If You're Happy and You Know It.  We're driving down the road and I'm clapping my hands and stomping my feet and trying to hold on to the steering wheel while doing both at the same time.

Did I look the fool?  Of course I did.  Parents, grandparents, aunts, uncles and all sorts adults will make themselves look silly in the name of making a child laugh and dance.    I didn't think anything about it though.

Then, the Hokey Pokey came on.  This song is much harder to do successfully in the car and I decided we'd have a go later in the living room to give the kids a full demonstration.  But it brought back memories for me while the song was on.  Roller skating rink memories.  The hokey pokey was always the highlight of the day.  We'd all go to the middle and stick our legs in and try not to fall down.  They would have the lights off and the disco ball on and it was the height of fabulous fun at that age.  And I wasn't self-conscious about it.  Not one bit.

So when does it happen that you get nervous about how cool (or uncool) you look around your peers?  I remember being mortified to dance at the junior-high dance because I didn't know how to dance (and who did really).  I remember thinking I was the one with no rhythm doing the Macerena and I know for a fact I looked like a complete dolt as I tried and failed to remember the steps in the Electric Slide.

But now, as an adult with children, I think I've regressed into that child-like, I don't care if I look stupid, no wait, I'm not even thinking about how I look because I'm too busy having fun mode.  I think I like it this way a lot more.

The Big Boy Update:  More on the best friend front.  Not only does my son have many best friends; he doesn't even know some of their names.  At a playground yesterday he made a new friend.  He didn't know this little boy's name, but he was having a great time playing with him.  He very happily told the little guy (who's name turned out to be Wilson) that he was his best friend. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles: "Where did my friend go?"  We were at a playground over lunch and my daughter had made a friend and they were having a great time when I called her to the table for lunch.  After she got done eating, she looked around for her new friend.  She turned to us and said, "where did my friend go?"