Puppy Dog Tails and Snails

My favourite game growing up was an adaptation of playing tag. The person tagging others had to be hopping on one leg and the area we played within was marked out before hand.

Evan recently discovered the joy of playing tag and we spent the afternoon taking turns to tag and be tagged. I tried to convince him to do it on one leg but I think that was being ambitious.

I taught him to run in spurts, stop and reverse his direction or to fake a reverse to confound his catcher. As I chased him, he did just that although the giggling and chuckling never stopped and got louder as I closed in on him.

I had to call a time-out as my lungs threatened to explode out of my chest, I wondered how I did this all through recess in primary school. Recess was always about inhaling food and hitting the basketball courts to play 'one-legged catch'. I remember tired legs but never tired lungs. Eventually, the girls were banned from playing it because as we hopped and ran around, our pinafores would ride up and the teachers thought it was unbecoming for girls to be playing it. We protested, of course. 

Evan just wanted to go on. It was hot and humid and we got sweaty but the simple thrill of being chased down by his mother far surpassed the heat and stickiness.

I am certain I could do this with Jordan too but there comes a thrill to rough and tumble with the boys although I'm sure that if Evan took a tumble, I would have hell to pay as the tears flowed and the howls echoed through the estate.

I have heard the refrain, 'you're a girl, you shouldn't be sweaty' implying that boys can be sweaty but girls shouldn't. I do not have problems with Jordan being sweaty, but the way I really like my boys are when they are rosy cheeked, flushed and extremely sweaty and grubby. 


 Technorati Tags: JED, boys