Bat Boys (or, How My Eight-Year-Old Saved my Life)

I was just minding my own business last night, quietly catching up on some work on the computer, when I noticed it.

Scratch that. I didn't notice *it* first. I noticed the cats.

We have three cats, and two of them were acting mighty strange. They were thumping around the dining room like they were chasing something. A mouse, I thought. It had happened before and probably will happen again.

Then I noticed that the cats were looking up. Ah, I thought, a fly.

But something just didn't seem right. Flies are usually a momentary diversion, and the cats were intense. So I looked up -- and saw a bat flying laps around my dining room ceiling. I was not happy.

After pondering my alternatives, I made what I now consider a genius decision: I called my eight-year-old.

He was sleeping over at the neighbor's house, and when I explained the situation, the boys were more than happy to come home to help. They arrived with butterfly nets in hand.

The bad news is that by the time the boys got here, the bat was nowhere to be seen. They traipsed through the house, looking for said bat, but came up empty handed. (Or is that empty netted?)

Knowing that bats like to hang up high, I suggested they check the curtains. They did -- and found the bat hanging in my bedroom. We promptly closed the door.

Then I went to lay with Boy #4 (who was still awake) in his room (with the door closed!) while Boy #3 and his friend voluntarily entered the room with the bat.

The sounds of their efforts were precious. The boys laughed, plotted, planned and goaded each other on. Clearly, they were enjoying their mission and role as my rescuer.

And you know what? They caught the bat! Fifteen minutes, two butterfly nets and one fishing net later, they released the bat, unharmed, in the backyard. This morning, both were still glowing from the excitement of their adventure.

Lesson learned: If you have brave, adventurous boys around the house, take advantage!

Falling Through the Cracks

Last month I wrote a post about a 15-year-old boy who was found with 53 baby birds in his bedroom.

Today I received an anonymous comment from a reader claiming to be the boy's mother. I have no way of verifying her identity, but since her comments are interesting -- and at least one news report does indicate that the boy was in counseling -- I'm reprinting her comments her in their entirety.

Dear reader's....I happen to to be this boy's mother... I am so tired of people passing judgement on me as a mother.I have had trouble with my child since he was a toddler. I have taken him to doctor's his whole life. The most they came up with was ADHD. The meds never seem to help him.He was removed from my home for a yr. to live in a therapy residental setting and was released too soon because it was costly for the state. In that year my son was out of my home his father and I attended every function. We as a family drove down to denver every weekend with out fail for family therapy. I have taken every parenting class available. I worked with my son in therapy else where for six years. I have tried everything. Yes even spanking him and that ended me up as a child abuser. So thats just a brief on what I have been dealing with. He has a long line of theft that I myself have even called the cops on him. He has been slapped on the hand his whole life. I love my son and have tried everything to make him see how he is ruining his life. I am a single mother now of 2yrs and do what I can. I dont want to see him in jail because he will only come out worse but he does need to learn from this and I hope that he does. This whole thing happened in 45 mins. A lapse of me going to work at 145 and my sister getting home at 220. So world please dont think that i dont observe my child or that im outta touch with him. The truth be told their are alot of children like mine who are over looked and failed by the system. Even more so parents like me begging for help and exhausted trying to just get them through life with what we have available to us as parents.

What do you think? Whether or not she's the mother of the bird boy, do you think that society allows too many boys to fall through the cracks? Do you know any parents who are exhausted and frustrated from trying to get their sons the help they need?

Kid Power

“It’s only really in America that parents have no expectation of their kids until age 18. Then they expect them to get into a good college and if they do that, they can live off their parents’ money for another four years.”

-- Zac Sunderland

Have you heard of Zac Sunderland? He made news a few weeks ago when he became the youngest person to sail around the world, solo. At age 17, Zac has completed a mission few adults ever attempt.

I had the opportunity to talk to Zac today and asked him how he responded to adults who wrote off his dreams, simply because he was a kid. His response, in part, is above.

What do you think? Do you think Americans expect too little of our sons?

Top 10 Signs You Might Be a Boy Mom

10. You're as excited as your boys are when a bouncy ball rolls into the street -- and is promptly exploded in two by an oncoming car

9. You've had bugs (or reptiles) on your kitchen counter

8. Your laundry piles are predominantly "dark"

7. You know what a skid loader, backhoe and bulldozer are

6. Your bathtub resembles a beach at low tide after the children bathe

5. You laugh at bathroom humor

4. You've ever utttered the words "point down!" while potty training

3. You no longer freak out (completely) when you see your children waving sticks at each other

2. You have at least two of the following toys in your house right now: Legos, blocks, plastic dinosaurs, trucks, light sabers

1. You know there's absolutely nothing in the world like little boy hugs (except, maybe, big boy hugs)

Good Grooming = Good Grades?

Well-groomed boys get better grades.

That's the result of a new study that examined the relationship between students' personality, attractiveness, grooming and grades. Yet another reason to be glad my boys have short hair! Just wake up and go.

Unless, of course, good grooming also means matching clothes and washed faces. I can't always guarantee either one. Most of the time, I'm just happy they get themselves dressed; I couldn't care less about what they're actually wearing. And as for faces...well, let's just say I try to make sure they have clean faces (and hands) before heading out in public. The key word there is "try." I do not always succeed.

Before you start screaming foul, though, note that even the researchers of the study realize that this may be a chicken-and-egg question. More research will be needed, it seems, to determine whether well-organized boys -- who get good grades -- are more likely to comb their hair.

I wonder what Einstein would have to say about this?

Snapshot Sunday: Monarchs!

Remember our monarch chrysalises from last Sunday? Look what we found this morning!

D'oh!

My sons introduced me to this video. Let me know what you think!