This week I'd been remembering how many theology, belief, and just basic discussions I'd had with my high school friends (and thinking how I miss those discussions and with I could engage in a few with people here at least now and then). I am so grateful to be in a family with believing parents who taught me the Word and helped shape my Christian world view, who trained me up in the way that I should go, and I pray that when I am old I will not depart from it.
Luke brought up some interesting questions as we drove to the Art Display Open House in Nashville. He wondered what we thought about the "days" in Genesis (6 literal days, 6 longer time periods, or other). He also had a couple other questions, all of which I remember wrestling with. Bennett and I answered the "days" one, and Bennett answered another one. ARenee just sat quietly. I'm not sure whether she didn't want to answer, she wanted to hear what we had to say, or she wanted the boys to be able to hash it out themselves. (I took her road after the "days" question and just listened after that.)
Then on the way home, Luke mentioned something about how they had been discussing suicide in church, and we got to talking about the sanctity and value of life. It was really interesting to hear everyone's view on that and made me wonder what people without a Christian world view think about life. I do know some of that view based on the fact that abortion is legal and wide spread.
I also learned something about boys. I don't have brothers, and although my sisters and I didn't always get along all the time, we never did wrestle or physically fight. I'm sure we exchanged words about who was in the bathroom when, who was playing with whose toys, who got to drive or ride in the front seat, whose turn it was to wash the dishes, and more. But boys just like to fight (at least the boys I was around this weekend):
- Luke and Bennett--Bennett (18) is at school, but he was home for the afternoon and I got to witness a wrestling match between him and Luke (almost 15). It was fascinating. They were going at each other for no reason, just having fun (Bennett has 3.5 years and quite a few inches on Luke, but Luke was still enjoying it and trying to beat Bennett). Then they quit and we went on to eat dinner.
- Dawson and Doug--Both are 4 and were playing in a soccer game against each other. Dawson I know and babysit for. He is full of energy and has an 18-year-old brother, Leland, with whom I'm sure he's had a few wrestling matches; he's not ultra-aggressive but he also won't walk away when someone provokes him. Doug, on Dawson's opposing team, was pushing all the boys and grabbing jerseys. The coach kept telling him to quit, but there were no subs for Doug's team so he let him continue to play with no consequences. Dawson got the ball and headed for the goal; Doug grabbed his jersey and wouldn't let go. Dawson was focused on making the goal, ran a circle around Doug because he couldn't get free, and then scored the goal. Dawson had enough, and we watched the boys exchange words. (Dawson's dad, Rob, asked what he had said, but he said he didn't say anything.) From that point on, Rob gave Dawson the green light to push Doug and to be aggressive. One of the coaches suggested that if they had been 9 or so, there would have been an all-out fight. Even though Doug was bigger, Dawson definitely would have held his own and probably taking him out.
- Dawson, Collin, and Blake--Collin and Blake are 9; Dawson is still 4 (although almost 5). The neighbor boys were antagonizing Dawson by saying, "UT stinks!" (Leland goes to UT.) Dawson, not being one to step away from a fight, let them have it every time. He wasn't hurting them (probably couldn't have at their respective sizes), but he would tackle them and bring them to the ground. As far as skill, they were pretty evenly matched, which right there tells me they've all had some experience wrestling, if even among themselves or with their dads. I let them continue, because they were antagonizing Dawson; Tanya, Collin's mom, let them continue because she knew Dawson couldn't hurt them (and they wouldn't hurt him) but would still let them have it (which she thought would be good for them). (Aside: there were a couple girls out there, and Dawson was trying to wrestle with them, too. One girl told him that "hitting a girl is against the law.")
I'm filing these lessons away for when I have boys who decide they want to fight. I'll let them have at it!
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