Boys and girls

I have had my middle children participating in the church’s Children’s choir. It has been a very good experience for them and Sam has even had the opportunity to accompany the group on piano. The music director is helping me groom him as a church musician, but I digress.

My kids are homeschooled. Most of the kids in the choir go to the school. My kids haven’t felt like outsiders however. One of the girls in the choir is also in Izzy’s art class at the community center, so Izzy made friends with her and a few other girls. Noah blooms wherever he is planted!

But the most interesting phenomenon for me to watch has been how being an “outsider” has given Gabe and Sam a certain mystique. Both boys are quite tall now and Sam’s voice is changing. Because they are from the outside, and not part of the regular peer group, because they are both reasonably attractive, and because they are nice, polite and kind, they have caused quite a stir from the young ladies in the group who can’t seem to get enough of them.

One little lady in particular took a liking to Sam. She is in the third grade, petite, blond, perky, great smile. Sam would be sitting there in his awkward teenage body, trying to look cool, but wondering what to do with these long arms and legs that have experienced amazing lengthening since last summer, and this little girl, Jana, would come up and start talking to him. She was standing. Sam would politely nod at whatever it was that she said and that was enough to keep her animated for another five minutes. When she said something particularly funny Sam made the fatal mistake of smiling. Once he even laughed. That was all the encouragement Jana needed. Every practice afterwards Jana couldn’t wait to entertain Sam, and Sam, truth be told, was rather flattered by the attention.

The last practice before Christmas Jana had an idea. She told Sam that if he ended up going to the local high school, he could talk his teachers into holding him back every year, for five years. “And then we could go to school together!” she said sweetly. “You just have to wait for me!” And a bit joyously, like she had come up with a great solution.

It was a precious moment.

Gabe however had a different take on the problem. “I’ll do it. I’d only have to be held back two years!”

And then they all laughed.

Of course Noah is in the third grade too, a fact that Jana seems to be deliberately overlooking, as she is only fond of Sam.

It was all very sweet. One of those snapshot moments that I was glad to have as I sat in the corner, with my flute, just watching and remembering these innocent times of my children’s childhood.

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