Last night at the natatorium, Polimom was reading in the bleachers while AC and her fellow-swimmers kicked and fluttered their way back and forth across the pool – a regular activity three nights a week. Nothing odd about that, until another parent commented, “They look like a bunch of mermaids.”
Sure enough, they did.
Friday nights are always lightly attended, but why do only the girls show up? Do you suppose there’s any connection between these boys (or rather, their parents) not meeting their commitments, and this?
According to the Census Bureau, fully one-third of young men ages 22 to 34 are still living at home with their parents — a roughly 100 percent increase in the past 20 years. No such change has occurred with regard to young women.
Odd thoughts pop into my head everywhere. I must spend too much time thinking or something…
On behalf of men everywhere, I say, ”
Ma! I need some toilet paper!”
…I am just glad I have a daughter. Lot less to worry about (ok, dont send the hate mail).
Mash – how funny! I don’t see having a daughter as having less to worry about (considering how much I worry about mine).
And having re-read my very-early-on-a-Saturday post, I have to clarify something before it comes up: that group of swimmers has both boys and girls signed up, and the boys are there the other days of the week…
I don’t think I was quite as clear as I could have been. (Some mornings really call for a second pot of coffee)
Interesting your post. I just had a discussion along these lines with my husband. Our daughter, now 26 with a 6 yr old son (yes we thought it was too soon, etc.), was involved in all kinds of activities from drill team to debate to drama, you name it. I was almost always there for practices (someone had to drive!) and was always there for competitions, as were a lot of other moms. There was an extreme absence of dads. Had our daughter been male and involved in baseball, football or basketball, I think the ratio of dads to kids might have been different. My husband, not a sports fan, really regrets that he wasn’t there more.
At Mardi Gras this year, there were so few kids back to their regular schools, that three schools merged their marching bands creating MAX. (I think it was St. Mary’s, St. Augustine and Xavier.) As always the parents were marching up the sides and dragging wagons with drinks, broken uniform parts, etc. behind them. These kids marched in every single parade. They had been thrown together fast and were wonderful. My husband and I hollered “GO PARENTS” as we stood on in back of the barricades. On Lundi Gras we hollered, ONE MORE DAY! The parents were delighted. But what we really noticed was the large number of dads who were involved and marching along. We thought it was wonderful.
I dunno. Maybe the boys (whose college admission numbers are slipping daily) saw Dad waiting at home after Mom did the carpooling and figured why give up a good thing. Works for dad!
Slate – Yes, there do seem to be sports that are more “dad-friendly” than others. In fact, we have quite a few dads who come for swimming. It was one of those very dads last night who (after we noticed the lack of boys) commented that times seemed to have changed radically; that as a boy, he would never have been allowed to skip practices on Fridays.
Just one of those things that make you go Hmmmmmmm…….