Fall Family Fun Night

Eye opening.

The kids are between 10 and 14 years old, they are in grades 5 and 6.

We arrive, my son runs off for a quick play of handball only they call it four square here before we go into the classroom activities. He joins up with two of his mates from school, they are nice boys even if they all troop through the rooms on a warpath. They joke with the teachers they like and avoid those that are not their favourites. I see the ativities they do gleefully, they are only 11, still only children really, just stuck in bodies that are big.

I stand back and watch, he makes eyes at the girl he likes, doesn't talk to her just smiles. Innocent and young. It is sweet and gives me no pause.

Just as we decide to depart for home and dinner he introduces me to another mate, one he has not run the halls with this evening, but one he is nice to during the day, he is nice to everybody it is not unusual, he always has been kind-hearted. During the first couple of weeks of school he mentioned this boy. Mum he would say, you know A he's BIG. And BIG he is. We talked then about how lots of people here are alot bigger, heavier than what we have seen regularly back in OZ, and BIG might be an ok non-judgemental way to describe it. So a few weeks ago my son tells me he thinks his friend A might have been held back once or maybe twice, he wasn't sure, but he's BIG mum. Tonight it is clear to me what he meant. The boy is a boy no more. I am not certain how many times he was held back, it is more than once, that does not matter, he is quite possibly close to 15 yrs old. I have no issues with that at all, I hope the learning comes easier as time goes on for him. I am all for children learning and getting a good education however it needs to happen.

It gives me pause when my son introduces me to you though and as you shake my hand you cut your eyes away. The pain that is there is obvious. I hope that my child can be an encouragement without being sucked into making unwise choices. I am reminded that we have been through quite a bit of crap in the last several years, but we must be doing something right, my son treats those around him with fun and friendship, it can't be too bad.
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Marley & Me is a great little nugget of a book.

I am currently without something to read.
Bills do not count. Something to read just for fun is necessary.

I must get onto that.