My home had been overtaken by teenage boys. The girls heard them coming and scattered, but I had to play hostess. Luckily, that simply consisted of buying enough soda and chips to feed a small country, and making sure that anything I didn't want broken or smeared with chocolate icing was safely put away. Then I just gave them the following items:
1. A football (ONLY when outside) This, of course, ended up stuck in a pine tree. More than once.
2. Small squishy football (because I knew that eventually they were going to be throwing SOMETHING around inside the house) We learned that bouncing it off each other's head apparently NEVER STOPS BEING FUNNY.
3. PS2 with Madden Football (borrowed from a friend because we're not above mooching)
4. A couple bags of balloons (Steelers black & gold of course) for them to get "inventive" with.
Okay, that last one wasn't really planned, but just sort of turned out that way. Put some balloons in the hands of a slew of guys running on pure adrenaline, testosterone, and sugar... and stand back.
But sitting there observing them, it occurred to me... why in the world did these creatures scare me 25 years ago? When I was a teenage girl, there were only a handful of guys that I truly felt comfortable to hang around with. Anyway, so other than the crew that I hung out with, guys were like foreigners from a strange country with different customs and their own language. But now it's so easy to sit around my house with all the boys laughing and cracking jokes, pulling pranks on each other. In many ways, it's more comfortable than when I have a houseful of girls. Not that I don't enjoy hanging with the girls, too, but some of them just make you feel like they're probably mocking you when your back is turned and saying nasty things about you when you leave the room. Or maybe that's just my leftover insecurities from high school... but guys are just... guys. Take 'em at face value and they'll do the same with you. Why couldn't I see that when I was a teenager?
Now, I do have to say that I'm glad I don't have all boys all the time. I've wondered how my friends who have just boys handle all that... manliness 24/7. We have two boys, two girls... a nice balance. The girls give the boys enough practice to know how interact with the opposite sex, and the boys keep the girls from thinking they're "all that". It all works out.
So it's all good. Although next time we have a houseful of teenage boys, I might go to the mall with the girls.
