Tis the Season to be an Obliviot

I took Queenie to her Brownie meeting last night and I always enjoy that, we moms are a lot of fun!
But wow, I don't know if you've ever been in a room full of 6 year old girls who are so excited to see each other. 12 of them, to be exact. I used to think that Number One Son's Cub Scout meetings were total chaos (and they are), but they are nothing compared to a First Grade Brownie Girl Scout meeting. Squeals, giggles, laughs, running, skipping and that's just the grown-ups trying to get their attention!

So when Number One Son, The Flying Monkey and I came by to pick Queenie up from her meeting, Number One Son went in to play with some of the girls. They like playing with him, there's a lot of giggling when he gets there.

Like I said, it was pretty chaotic, but pretty typical.

Here's the thing: Girls and boys are two completely different animals. If you don't have girls, you don't understand them. And likewise, if you don't have boys, you don't understand them. It's as simple as that. I have each, and I have a hard enough time understanding sometimes.

Anyway, there was one particular mom who was there picking up her daughter. She only has girls, and so, there you go. I am also learning as an adult that I am not necessarily going to get along with every other adult I meet. Even if our children are friends. I'm a people pleaser, so this one is tough. But back to the story.

So, the girls are off the chain, and Number One Son is playing right in the middle of them. A lone 8 year old boy in the midst of a sea of silly 6 year old girls. Mrs. Thing stops near me and makes a comment.

Mrs. Thing: (rolling her eyes) "It's all that little boy's fault. He got them all fired up."
Me: (uncomfortable chuckle as I'm wondering if she realizes that little boy is my little boy)
Me: "[Number One Son], [Queenie], let's go, dinner's waiting!"
Mrs. Thing: (uncomfortable chuckle while walking away)

Um. Really? I'm glad to know that at 8 years old my son is able to influence an entire room full of girls to act a certain way. He is sure to be a successful rock star or maybe even a politician! (does everyone detect the sarcasm in my "voice?")

At least I can comfort myself in the fact that I was not the one who left the building last night feeling about 2 inches tall. On the other hand, if Mrs. Thing is a true obliviot, it probably didn't even phase her.

The Proud Mother to 3 beautiful, handsome, intelligent and, let's not forget, well behaved children signing off!

Snips and Snails and Puppy Dogs Tails

Boys will be boys. That's how the saying goes. I don't use that as an enabling excuse, but the reality is that boys and girls have predispositions to act certain ways. That's the way they are made.

What are little boys made of?
Snips and snails, and puppy dogs tails
That's what little boys are made of !
What are little girls made of?
Sugar and spice and all things nice
That's what little girls are made of!

Apparently a school board in Dennis Township, New Jersey doesn't appreciate this well known fact.
They suspended a 7 year old student for drawing a stick figure holding a gun and giving it to a friend. The other child's parents complained to the school, so the school suspended the student. Really? Give me a break.
My first thought was that the school board was being ridiculous and unreasonable. Now, however, I am just floored that the friend's parents went the school and complained. I teach my children not to tattle. Oh sorry, but I do. Why didn't the parents call the little boys' parents?

The point is, little boys love guns. Number One Son started making his fingers into the shape of a gun when he was about 2 1/2. He had never seen a gun. Not on TV, in a game, much less in real life. DH played with "guns" and he is not a serial criminal or a murderer. These boys just like to be boys and play boy games. Saying that it will damage them and cause them to be violent is as ludicrous as saying that a little girl is going to become promiscuous because she likes Bratz dolls, lipstick and draws hearts on Zac Efron's face. That's, well, stupid.

Now, I agree, some things are too violent for children, there are plenty of TV shows and video games that are not appropriate for children. And we should monitor what our children watch and do.

But to punish a child in such an extreme way for drawing a fun picture for his friend is mean. Sometimes our school teachers and administrators go a little overboard because they are trying to avoid possible issues. Example. Number One Son got in trouble when he was in Kindergarten many years ago for kissing a classmate on the cheek. He is a very affectionate boy, and I was very angry at the teachers for making him feel bad for being kind to his friend. They informed me that sexual harassment laws prohibited students from touching each other in that way. Yes. That is really what they said. I said, "HE'S FIVE!!!!"

There are so many other arguments here, I won't even go into boys playing with dolls and girls playing with trucks. Good grief. They are children, let them be children, it is their JOB to play and be creative in ANY WAY they so choose. We have taken away so much fun from our children, THAT is what is going to cause them to be criminals. But that is another blog for another day.

Have a wonderful week, remind your kids to be politically correct, only draw daisies & puppies, and to save their kisses for Mom & Dad. Just kidding!