Spit

Have you ever wondered where little boys learn to behave like little boys? Where do they learn that sticks can be guns, that dirt is meant to be dug in or thrown, that balls should be bounced against the house? I read an interesting article that talks about stick-play a few weeks ago and maybe that's what got me to thinking about boy- or girl-style play. On the other hand, maybe I was thinking of boy play because the other day, I caught Jed doing something that, to me, has boy written all over it.

What was he doing? SPITTING!! Not blowing raspberries-style spitting, more like saving up a mouthful of spit and then expectorating with great force, Gaston-style spitting. And where, you ask, was he doing this? In his bedroom!

I'm all for a good spit, outside, while running, or maybe if you've eaten a raspberry that wasn't quite ripe and you've got to get rid of that horrible bitterness or die, or if you're enjoying a mouthful of sunflower seeds. But when I found Jed, spitting for all he was worth, over and over at a damp patch on his bedroom carpet, I more than a little annoyed.

Where do you suppose Jed learned to spit? I am not a spitter. Dave isn't a spitter. I just have to marvel at the possibility that Jed found himself with a mouthful of spit and decided that it would be better to expel it than swallow.

This boy of mine is a delightful creature. I love watching the wheels turn in his brain, seeing him discover things for the first time. I so enjoy seeing the world through his eyes--that it is wide and full of possibility, with lots of rocks to throw, dogs to pat, squirrels to watch and puddles to stomp in. It's full of tools to leave on the grass, trash to eat, and streets to run in. I love that Jed is such a boy and that I find him doing things like this on a daily basis:



It's Dave's job to mow the lawn, and I know that's where Jed has picked up on the fact that the lawn mower is a manly tool. But it is interesting that with all of the other places he could be in the house, he prefers to be outside in the shed, tinkering with the mower or the bikes or the grill. It is so amazing and wonderful to me that we come to the earth with a strong identity of who we are, and I love watching Jed figure himself out.

And he's welcome to spit as much as he pleases as he does it--as long as it's outside!