Boys, Doritos and Frogs

Boys, Doritos, and Frogs

Recently while sitting in a restaurant with my daughter and my seven-year-old grandson, I heard an explosion followed by several smaller ones. l felt an occasional spittle on my cheek; it was the seven-year-old engaged in a great air battle with little toy planes. He was interrupted only twice, when we asked him what he wanted to eat, and again when his food came, otherwise, he was in a different world of adventure, problem solving and fighting the good fight.  I concealed my burst of laughter by slamming my hand over my mouth, his vivid imagination and fantasy world was humoursly delightful, but I did not want him to think I was laughing at him.

Today in this world, we don’t get boys anymore, but a few do. I was immediately reminded of that famous comic strip, Calvin, and Hobbes. There are too many hilarious strips to mention, but in one, Calvin is taking a bath, something he typically is reluctant to do. He has crafted a paper boat, but to Calvin and Hobbes, the handmade toy is a mighty aircraft carrier. The first laugh comes as Hobbes cannonballs into the bathtub, knocking Calvin and the water out. The humor reaches new heights when his parents see the water streaming down the stairs!

The creative, destructive behavior of boy’s borders on hilarious insanity. When my son was young and in the depths of his imagination, he and his friend Paul would make commercials with an old Camcorder. Sometimes they were sports casters, other times a commercial where they showcased the nutritional value of Doritos, demonstrating how high they could jump on the bed before hitting their heads on the ceiling, and crashing to the floor unharmed!

What Bill Waterson, the creator of Calvin and Hobbes did, was allow us a window into the world of parents of boys. Parents who had the patience of Job, in understanding what makes boys tick; That boys need to push to discover the boundaries of things and people.  

Calvin’s long-running rivalry with his friend Suzie demonstrates to us that it’s neither a man’s world, nor a woman’s world. We work and discover together. During one hot summer, the two are in a water balloon fight to the death. He sets an ambush for Suzie and waits on a tree branch, where it eventually occurs to him that he might wait there all day. My brother was that boy. He would wait all day concealed in camo, hidden behind a rusty box spring, covered with branches he had carefully woven into the springs. His face smeared with dirt and a pile of perfectly round horse manure balls at his side, ready to hurl at his unsuspecting sister.

Laundry is always fun when you have a boy. Emptying pockets before you throw those jeans in the wash is like being Indianna Jones, discovering odd things that fascinated ancient civilizations: an old coin, marbles, piece a of dried peanut butter bread and a flattened frog body.  You put it aside in some sort of bowl in case he asks for it later, which he will. Somehow, someway, it’s all part of his journey. The spirit of adventure must be encouraged, as it will be the answer to his question when he becomes a man, “what makes me come alive!” And that will give him the determination to fight the good fight, a mission greater than himself.  That is what the world needs, people that are alive!

Will your son remember your efforts?  Not really, and maybe it’s not really about what he will remember, but what you will remember, and the lessons our boys taught us.  This gives me a reason to eat Doritos every now and then.