Boys Will Be Boys

I was driving along my neighborhood when I spotted a couple of boys running around all drenched and brandishing huge water pistols. Upon closer inspection, one of the boys turned out to be my grandson.

“Hi grandpa!.” he shouted, wiping the water squirt from his eyes.

We laughed.

As I drove away, I realized that was the first time I saw kids playing around like that. Playing outside is not very common anymore, is it? A majority of the kids play video games inside the secured fortress of their homes.

When I was a boy, I would run out into the grassy fields like a deer and never seemed to get tired. I would walk all by myself, wearing my slippers to my cousin’s house which was about a mile away. The thought of being kidnapped or hit by a car never crossed my mind. I would be gone for hours unsupervised and no one would worry where I was.

I would play in the rain. I would play in the beach. I would build little houses made out of scrap furniture and old blankets. I would shoot cans down with my slingshot. I would climb mango trees like a monkey, snap the fruits from the branches and eat them up there. I built war zones with my plastic soldiers and toy trucks. At night, I would hunt rats with my BB rifle. I played basketball and other rough games … sprained both my ankles, several fingers … but I accepted these accidents as part of boyhood.

We played with spiders, beetles, ants, worms, cards, marbles, rubber bands, toy tops, kites, cars, rockets, firecrackers, fire, ate lots and lots of candies … I enjoyed being a boy.

I wanted to make sure my grand kids would experience the same thrills so the next day, I encouraged them to play outside and meet new friends. Since then I’ve seen them driving around with their helmets on their motorized scooters. They’d let their friends play with them too.

Modern America doesn’t seem to be neighborhood friendly anymore … at least not for city folks. There is a fear of some nefarious stranger lurking on the shadows or an unmarked van pulling up beside your child to kidnap him/her. But as long as the kids are taught to pair up and observe the proper precautions, we should set them free to explore.

But this is just me. How was your childhood?

TGIF people!

“Older people sit down and ask, ‘What is it?’ but the boy asks, ‘What can I do with it?’.” — Steve Jobs

“One of the best things in the world to be is a boy; it requires no experience, but needs some practice to be a good one.” — Charles Dudley Warner

“And the streets of the city shall be full of boys and girls playing in its streets ” – Zechariah 8:5

“ I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.” — 3 John 1-4

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA and Oscar of La Mirada, CA

Original art by Raoul Pascual.

Parting Shots

Thanks to Colleen of Washington State

Thanks to Benny of Chicago

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with this.

SUBSCRIBE

The post Me Too appeared first on Traveling Archive.

Twitterpated

WARNING: Just my opinion. Move on to the jokes if you’re not interested.

I enjoy watching my grandsons grow up.

Yesterday on our way to basketball practice, we passed by two teens exchanging (what appeared to be) their first kiss on the steps of a fenced community. “What was that?!” I exclaimed. “I don’t know,” my grandson giggled and both their eyes grew wide and shocked. But, as soon as we turned the corner, they were back to their basketball conversation like nothing had happened … such innocent kids!

During my preteen years, I didn’t know what girls were like. Sure I had sisters and cousins but they didn’t count — they weren’t real girls. Growing up in an all-boy Catholic school, my batch mates were clueless about these “heavenly creatures.” What do they eat? What do they talk about? How do you start a conversation? What do they smell like? Are they soft like a Teddy Bear? I was fascinated by almost every girl I met. If any girl would talk to me, I would fall in love.

I asked my grandsons if they had any lady friends and they said NO! — almost like saying “why would you even ask a dumb question like that?” Think about this — these boys go to school with girls everyday but they never speak to them unless they are required to. It’s exactly like the scene in Bambi where the boy animals get “twitterpated” by the more mature damsels who lay traps with their alluring glances and seductive poses.

Men, do you remember those years? Wasn’t life so wonderfully exciting? Where did all the chivalry go? I think when we lost our innocence, we started to objectify our women. Not good!

Women, instead of competing with you, would you rather that your man love you, be delicate with your hearts and treat you like the weaker vessels (physically) that you really are?

So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs and then closed up the place with flesh. Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man.

The man said, “This is now bone of my bones
and flesh of my flesh;
she shall be called ‘woman,’
for she was taken out of man.” — Genesis 2: 21-23

There is so much talk today about gender rights, equality and respect. Let’s get this straight: Men and women are different but we are equal in God’s eyes and we were made to complement and not compete with each other. It’s important to understand our roles. God is a God of order and this is His beautiful plan. Let’s not mess it up. We still have so much to learn from each other, don’t we?

But this is just me. And I’m preaching to myself.

TGIF people!

Raoul

“Those who have never known the deep intimacy and the intense companionship of mutual love have missed the best thing that life has to give.” – Bertrand Russell

“He showed me his scars, and in return he let me pretend that I had none.” – Madeline Miller

“Intimacy is the capacity to be rather weird with someone – and finding that that’s ok with them.” – Alain de Botton

JOKE OF THE WEEK

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Parting Shots

Thanks to Art of Sierra Madre, CA

Thanks to Drew of Anaheim, CA

Thanks to Bob of Placentia, CA

Thanks to Tom of Pasadena, CA

Thanks to Nani of San Juan, Philippines

Thanks to Drake of Washington, DC

Thanks to Mike of New York

I found these:

My good friend (and jokester) Terry and I came up with this.

SUBSCRIBE

The post Spartacus, A Lion is Eating Your Wife! appeared first on Traveling Archive.