Boys like drums. Some girls like drums. Many more boys like drums. Right? No one is offended right? It's just a fact of life, whether genetic or environmental or hormonal. That said, I had a funny parenting moment last week that I thought I'd share with you.
I knew something was up when my eight year old son went outside to make a phone call to a neighbor. It turns out that the neighbor was willing to sell his mini slightly broken drum set to my son for a whopping 6 shekels, a steal given the full price was 80 shekels. (From my perspective their mother should pay us to take the drum set off their hands, but never mind.) So the neighbor brought his drum set over for a trial run, and then his younger brother, decided he'd like to get rid of his drum set too.....he's rather have a tiny tiny plastic smurf or something. So here we are in the kitchen with two sweet little boys banging the daylights out of these mini drum sets.
It was so cute that I took photos and even a little movie. I asked my six year old "what are you doing?" His answer, are you ready for this? "I'm playing a motorcycle." Granted his English isn't the greatest, but I found it so interesting that he associates drums with motorcycles! And then it occurred to me that if this is the case, then certainly one should overcome the annoyance of say, drums, to help a child satisfy that inner desire for something a little out of control, such that when he (0r she) is older he won't choose to do things that will really have your heart in your throat.
And the end of this little tale is that first of all the neighbors mother did not agree to the sale. And secondly my daughter reported that a friend's grandmother is buying her friend a drum."That's nice" I said. " But drums aren't for girls" said my daughter smirking. "Who says?" I said. "Oh, really? Well in that case I want one too!"
My choice as a parent is to say yes to a little bit of drumming now, so that my children will hopefully in the future understand that choosing personal safety is just about one of the smartest things one can do. And for that I'm willing to go just a bit deaf. Please remind me of this if infact there are ever drums around here. Or maybe I'll maybe I'll just join them. Moms need to live a little on the wild side sometimes too.
