We’re currently down some estrogen in the house. Taryn is off on her summer adventure. John stayed back again this year to play soccer and pollute the air with his smelly feet. So it’s me, John, Reese, and Jackson.
I’m completely outnumbered. Having only one girl, I’m often struck by the differences between the sexes.
This afternoon we went to my friend Megan’s house for a barbecue with a big group of friends. Megan has a big field that opens to a community playground behind her house. We all chipped in for a bouncy house rental for the day, guaranteeing worn out kids.
Immediately, the boys started wrestling and fighting inside the bounce house. One by one the boys came and told on each other and one by one we moms attempted to discipline them.
Two boys came and told on a third boy for hitting. His response to getting yelled at was, “But Mom, they said it didn’t hurt!”
Seems like a reasonable explanation.
Later the same boy told on Jackson for throwing a frisbee at his face. Jackson responded, “But he had been hitting me!”
Brooke reported that she heard her girls tell the boys, “We’re ladies. We don’t wrestle.” One of the boys said, “Well, we’re in first grade, WE FIGHT!”
The picnic did not end with any trips to the ER, so it was a success.
Don’t think this odd behavior is limited to little boys. Big boys act dumb too.
John went along to the barbecue. His willingness to attend was shocking to me. Usually he puts up a fight about doing anything other than playing soccer or laying on the couch watching Hardcore Pawn and texting his dumb friends. As we headed out I told him he might want to wear soccer shoes instead of sandals, in case he wanted to kick the ball around with Megan’s brother.
Megan’s brother is about the same age as John. They’ve played soccer together at least one other time.
For the first hour of the barbecue neither of them acknowledged the other’s existence. Other than the two of them there were seven woman and 13 little kids in attendance. It’s not like they missed each other.
Not one word.
Eventually, John got up, went out to the field, and started kicking the soccer ball around. By himself.
He didn’t ask the other soccer playing teenage boy to join him. The other boy made no attempt to join him. This went on for 15 minutes. Finally between the two Moms we were able to convince him to go out to the field too.
What’s wrong with them? How hard would it have been for John to say, “Hey man, want to kick the ball around?” Or “Hi.” Hi would have been a good start.
Boys. Are dumb.
