Boys

I was sitting in the family room this morning, reading, while the boys alternated their video game playing between World Wrestling and Call of Duty.

And it struck me how boys will be boys no matter what you try and instill early on.  (I know, duh).

When the boys were little I refused any toy guns, swords, or weapons in general.  And for awhile, they were too little to notice.  They were happy in their world of big purple dinosaurs and freaky little teletubbies.

Suddenly, guns were pencils.  Swords were wrapping paper rolls.  Water guns were deadly.  And they were big enough to have friends who didn't have mothers who objected to all that awful violence in the sake of play and fun. 

And let's not forget the whole video game bullshit.  Last night I went round and round with Harrison who wanted to play Call of Duty which featured men with machine guns and language like, "there he is! Shoot him down!"  followed by rounds of fire and refilling ammunition.  Nice.  I finally had to call Larry to ask if this is something he has played before and how he felt about it.  Larry (another boy) said Harrison has in fact played this game before and it was Okay.  Oh, goodie.  Alright...(I'm apparently being a mom again and a girl, gasp, the horrors!)

Maybe all this is the same for them and how they look oddly at us girls with our baby dolls being pushed in miniature strollers and feeding the babies bottles of air and insisting we change diapers.  Or how Barbie's live in big pretty pink houses and take pretend baths with their little plastic dogs.  I know.  Big discovery: boys and girls are different.  Sure glad my dusty college degree is going to good use here.  I think I have uncovered something really, really big...

Anyway, I just found it funny this morning as the boys were playing these games that we started off so Innocent.  In fact, I remember when Josh first came home with a sword.  It was after a pirate-themed birthday party for an older friend when Josh was about four.  He didn't realize at the time that I took the sword away and threw it in the trash.

Somehow boys just find their testosterone despite an overprotective...and clearly a girl...mother.  They wrestle and tackle and bean each other with Nerf balls until one is screaming.  They play they are cops (again, the guns) or cowboys (more guns).  They pretend they are wrestlers (no need for guns or swords when you can body slam three hundred pounds onto your opponent, yes, sounds delightful like high tea with the Queen of England).  

It is inevitable.  They will find their inner boy sooner or later and they will come out, guns blazing!

Comments

[darcie]

So true, almost every boy I know will turn whatever he can get his hands on into a weapon of some sort, lol! I don't think my girls have ever turned barbie into a machine gun or their tea pot into a cannon. :op