The process of watching a boy become a man is an interesting one. I watched 4 boys grow into manhood in my childhood home; so watching it happen to Peter shouldn’t be a novel experience. Yesterday, he asked me to bring him to the track to run some miles after school. Coming back from Zumba with six girls, Peter jumps into the car as we head to the track. They all shriek like they have never seen a boy before. Somehow he manages to claim the front seat while all the girls are squished in the back, because no one wants to sit next to a boy. He smiles because somehow, he knows he has some power over them. He isn’t sure how or why, but he knows something about his presence affects them. And so it begins, my boy doesn’t realize it but he is becoming a man. We get to the track. The girls split into little groups and meander a comfortable pace as Peter runs laps like there is no tomorrow. He realizes that they are watching him. I know him well enough to notice his extra effort and knowingly ask him what made him run so fast today? He shrugs the look of, “ I don’t know”, while to me it seems as clear as a bell. It’s good to see him put his talents to good use to impress the ladies rather than act destructive or jerky in general to get them to look his way. He has tried to do it legitimately. Perhaps we can call it a noble effort. It just makes me realize one thing for sure. It’s going to be a long and interesting road through adolescence.
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