I’m not sure all nearly-15-year-old boys are like ours, but he’s pretty stoic. It takes a good deal to get any sort of reaction from him. That’s not to say Max meets the world with a “Meh.” attitude, it’s just that he tends to be pretty even keel. I would venture to guess it is his way of retaining some equilibrium in the midst of ALL THE FEELINGS of the girls.
We remind him and Philip often that their sisters are the greatest gift we can give them for their future lives. As husbands or priests, they will be in close contact with women for the rest of their lives. This training ground that can feel like a minefield is going to give them an edge in life and they will thank us later.
Fingers crossed anyway.
Max is also a master of Love and Logic. Already. He remembers it more often than I do and keeps his wits about him. Again, it is a powerful tool with his sisters and it’s not surprising to hear him using it.
A few weeks back, though . . . Oh man. Lucy was not buckled into her car seat because #parentsoftheyear and she was resisting the instructions to put her seatbelt on. Calmly, Max said, “Hey, Lu, can you put on your seat belt by yourself or do you need my help?” “I can do it myself.” To which Max replied –
“YOU GO, GIRL!”
Jac and I erupted into laughter. Max laughed along nervously. “What’s so funny?” We struggled to explain, first through our laughter, and then with our inability to put to words how unexpected and out of character his comment was. “I was just trying boost her confidence.” he explained.
He has since utilized it over and over and each time it makes me laugh and I’m pretty sure it’s the main reason he does it. And for a nearly-15-year-old-boy, I’ll take it.
