A Funny Scene at Panera

A mother came him with her two young boys, probably ages 4 and 6. ?They were cute kids, but the kind you would rather not be sitting next to if your are trying to get some reading/writing done while you enjoy some coffee.

In walks a neighbor/friend with a friend of her own — and they start to chat. ?The neighbor asks the boys what they are dressing up for on Halloween. The older boy answers quickly: "A pirate."

The two women (the neighbor and here friend) are very affirming of such a costume choice.

Then they ask the younger boy.

"Ariel!" he shouts out.

"Yes, the mermaid," the mom explains/clarifies.

"Oh," the two other women say. ?"That will be a lovely costume."

For the next fifteen minutes, all three of the adult women try to reassure each other (or mostly mom) that there is nothing wrong with such a costume choice, shows self-confidence, etc. ?Mom explains that the child's nursery school teacher has already affirmed this. (Apparently, it was worth bringing up to the teacher.)

The end result? ?They were on their way to try and find a tiera and something for a tale.

Give mom credit… she didn't seem 100% sure of the choice, but she knew well enough (or was told by a wise teacher) to go with it.

The unspoken conversation between the three women was clear. ?Most boys don't want to be mermaids. ?And perhaps this is a sign of something to come…

My thoughts? ?Who cares? ?The kid is 4. ?In all likelihood what he chooses as a costume at age 4 is a fairly meaningless thing. ?If anything, pretty refreshing that that all the bizarre gender issues we all carry around haven't stuck to him yet. ?Halloween is about dressing up and pretending. ?His older brother is no more a pirate (and no more masculine) than his younger brother will be a mermaid. ?Both are pretending.

And what if it turns out that this is an early sign that Jr. might be gay?

Who cares? ?What difference will that make? ?Mom will still love him, life will go on.

Just a fun anecdote from Panera's today… hoping those kids have a great Halloween… as a pirate and a mermaid.