It’s Summer vacation in the good old USA and that means that many school-aged children are home now all day long. Shudder. My ringing doorbell proves that my fears about making friends turned out to be totally unnecessary. It chimes every morning now around 10am. My wife or I will answer the door and it is always one of the neighborhood kids asking if ours can come out and play.

The lovely and talented wife went out for a couple of hours this morning so I answered the door. “Can they come out and play?” It’s like a little one act play now. He has his lines, I have mine. But it’s like the school play where our mother’s sat in the front row and we’d be embarrassed if any of our friends came to see it – we have no enthusiasm for it.

“They can’t come out right now because their mother isn’t home to watch them,” I replied. He mulled this for a split second and asked, “Why can’t you watch them?”

Insolent whelp! Small, ungrateful mammal! I exclaimed, “Don’t you know that I could destroy you with a single withering gaze, a stray thought?!” I glared at him theatrically, one eyebrow raised menacingly, brow furrowed, the heat of my anger beating him down into the lovely stone pavers on our front porch.

Well, not really. Of course, one wants his children to have playmates. Actually, he’s a nice boy and it was quite a charming question. I explained that I worked in an office upstairs but that their mother would be home soon. He went to the next house. Ding-dong.

Sheesh. I wish I could go out and play.

Comments

1. David on 2005-06-23 23:45:11 wrote: So where is his mum and/or dad? Or do different standards apply in other households?

2. john on 2005-06-24 09:42:47 wrote: He’s an older child and their parents feel comfortable to let him romp unattended. My kids woo death on a daily basis.

3. poushpi on 2005-08-02 11:50:25 wrote: that’s very funny :)