16 Year Olds Are Fun

Is it normal for a 32 year old woman to thoroughly enjoy conversations with 16 year old boys? Maybe these were unique 16 year old boys, or maybe I have absolutely no concept of my age. Or maybe I'm just a creepy old lady. At any rate, I think I enjoyed the conversations I had with our two 16 year old boys more than just about anyone. They are just fun! One of them had a small part...his lines consisted largely of "Sorry." And as my few lines consisted largely of "Ernie!" we had a good amount of down time during which we discussed the important things in life. I made a brilliant case in defense of The Legend of Zelda as the best NES game of all time. He begged to differ and made his case for Mike Tyson's Punch Out (or Knock Out...or whatever). Was he even born when Nintendo came out? Kids....they think they're so smart. I also learned that The Chocolate Wars and To Kill a Mockingbird are two great books that I really must read. And I came away from our discussions of The Dark Knight with more profound understanding than I had garnished from any such discussions with my grown-up friends.

I absolutely love people when they are at an age where they are dreaming and planning and idealistic and passionate and untainted by many of life's eventual cruelties. That's not to say that millions of 16 year olds haven't encountered more of life's cruelties than I could ever pretend to imagine. I am just compelled to take the ones that haven't yet fully butted heads with the injustice of life and validate every dream and insight that they are willing to lay bare. I also want to take them under my inadequate wing and protect them from every awful thing that lurks in the shadows waiting to devour them.

Both of these boys have dreams of acting...on stage I think...thought I doubt either would turn down an offer of great Hollywood celebrity. My husband was commenting on how interesting it is that guys so young would have such a passion for something like acting - that they would take it upon themselves to audition for plays that are not part of a school sanctioned activity - and that they would do it every opportunity they get. And it is fascinating. I love it. I love the privilege of getting to meet these amazing people who maybe don't buy into everything that "kids" are "supposed" to be. They have real interests and passions which aren't dictated by a desperate desire to be accepted by the coolest of their peers. Ugh...I hope no one ever succeeds in taking those interests and passions away from them. I think if I ever saw someone try, I would have to punch them.