Day 3: Boys Program

Yesterday was the first day to welcome an injury. Not a bad track record. Often during my time overseeing the program, there is at least one boy who is drawn to the "mom figure" in the crowd. By this I simply mean that there is usually one kid that needs a drink of water at the most inconvenient times, an aspirin, or an answer to a perfectly random question at an imperfect hour.... and not from their leaders, but from me. These are the kids who miss mom, I'm convinced, and who usually aren't as comfortable with the strong male leader. Its a good sign that yesterday was the first band-aid, the first Tylenol...

And, on that note, we have the mystery of the kitchen. The girls flock to the kitchen as if it were magnetized with neon signs flashing, "PLEASE COME IN!" Of course, this is advantageous in a way. After all, when they are in the confines of the kitchen they can be put to work --- often singing while they lend a hand. The boys, on the other hand, seem to avoid it like the plague. The only thing that entices them in is the food that needs to be carried out, the punch that is actually off-limits, and the dishes they are required to clean. They are in no hurry to please anyone in the kitchen, and they seem to know all too well what entrance in that domain means. What the girls see as a social space the guys see as a work zone. 

Last week, the girls tried to outsmart you with intelligence, while the guys try to outsmart you with what they consider wit (sometimes, quite frankly hysterical, sometimes worthy of the corner). Not all of them, I generalize of course. Last week the girls that wished to shine by opening their mouths usually did so with a pat and sophisticated response, as if to say I know already - must you keep talking? The guys, much to the director's frustration, diverged from the topic and diverted the attention of the group through truly absurd questions or responses. "Do you have any questions about the talk on Baptism?" Response: "What's your name?" "What's Holy Orders?" "Can I have a piece of chicken?"

Watching this, I can't help but smile thinking of my own mother, in the kitchen area, with three boys surrounding her. She'll never win, their reasons, reasoning, and bizarre questions reveal the inner struggle of the boy-man for order, dominance, and productive labor. For my mom, who just wants to be appreciated and have a clean house, it can be a painful ordeal. 

Sigh. Its a beautiful thing when the biggest "problem" is self-asserting teens demanding reasons and giving their own ad obnoxium. If they didn't, I'd have to worry about the future... but as it is, it seems that we can promise southern California at least 20 young men in the very near future. Girls: they are out there.... just wait awhile. OK?

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