The Juvenile POV

It isn't really a secret to anybody that I don't particularly enjoy the company of children. Sure, if your offspring is especially bright in a well behaved and non-clingy sorta way I can handle the company, but otherwise; it's a no-go. Mark of course is the exception, that should go without saying. What I do find fascinating and often times endearing is the perception that children have of the goings ons around us; their simple dissection of what we on the most part deem extremely complex or thought provoking is usually explained perfectly and quickly in a naturally "Layman's" vibe, frequently unbeknownst to them with a punch-line we just can't resist sharing. Not too long ago I was out to dinner and a movie with a friend who has 3 daughters under the age of 4 and she relayed to me a funny little happening. Her eldest wanted to know her 'other name' and so the families surname was given. This was not the answer the child was seeking. After a few exasperated attempts the daughter finally gave in and defeatedly asked for her 'time out' name. She was simply looking to be reminded of her given, middle and last names. Her only correlation at the age of 3 to the title on her birth certificate was that her full name was one associated with punishment. I grew up in a household where the values and beliefs of the catholic religion were followed; not preached or forced and for that I thank my mother, because Gawd knows what religion and the perception of it's expectations can do to an untainted child's psyche...but I digress. Before going to bed I was not made to pray, but knew the torment of other children who had to recite the 'If I die before I wake' sermon and it absolutely drove me insane. You know the rhyme I refer to, and seriously, can you just imagine the stress that puts on a child trying to simply make it through the night to see morning? Jeesh. Whoever thought to playfully invent the Boogie Man who lives in the closet or under the bed...I could murder him/her. Rot in hell. Okay, I'm over it...kinda. There are of course also the monumental moments in some of their little lives that I can't imagine even having to try and put into perspective. In the same way that we say parents should never endure outliving their children, there is an unfairness when someone not yet into adulthood has to face the death of a parent. It's not right. I confuse the ever living crap out of children when they are trying to categorize my gender and sexuality. In their small world where they are usually only taught and have had exposure to A and B, it's admittedly a wee bit loveable to admire their ability to blatantly poke and prod for an answer to the yet unknown while their parents awkwardly beat around a bush trying desperately not to offend. It all comes down to the honesty children are willing to show, their ability to often have us simply accept and see the gray in a black and white universe some are far too accustomed to. My aforementioned thoughts here on the tykes don't mean I am warming up to them in any capacity, let's keep this clear, however it's safe to say I can appreciate their blunt and simple angle towards all things lifelike...not dissimilar to myself.

Toodles