Frank and Earnest

Before I was a parent, I would easily tire of proud parents yammering about their "special" children and gosh-darn cute things they'd say/do.

Now my wife and I grieve that we cannot capture everything. We want helmet cams to wear, and we'd like to wire the kids for 24/7 capture of those things they say, too. (Yes, even in their sleep.)

Something happened last Monday that inspired this entry: at the end of HomeSchool Group--a loose association of parents and kids who homeschool, getting together monthly for crafts and socializing--my son was saying bye to a buddy. The other guy hugged and kissed my son on the cheek. In that moment of embrace, when they were both so sincerely friends who'd miss each other, without a smidge of homophobia or reservations of public displays of affection, without any of the hands-off clutter that most of us in the USA are blocked by--they hugged and kissed.

Now, I could not do that with just anyone, no matter how much they meant to me, be they same sex/students, etc...there are Conditions on being old.

But for them, at that moment, being so frank in their friendship and feelings--beautiful.

Likewise, my boys are inclined to shout "Oh, Baby!" about the prospect of a bath or a walk on our trails...they are so excited, so earnest to live and move and Be...

...I've written in repeatedly, but we should all be more childlike.