Leave It To Beaverish Valley

A commercial came on the radio yesterday urging moms to get a device for March break that lets their kids can watch as much videos as they want without getting in mom's way. The selling point? Aside from being out of mom's hair, the kids are safely ensconced in their homes in front of the TV where mom knows where they are. I can't tell you how disturbed I am with the commercial. Do we still wonder why obesity is on the rise? Do we have kids to keep them at arm's length?

The Boy and his friends are not exactly outdoorsy types. They get their share of video games and passive participation in fictional lives on TV. But these are also passionate, resourceful boys, and they are sociable. So I was somewhat gratified last night watching them prepare for their sleepover at the house.

In the middle of a heated Warhammer battle, Harry Potter started playing the keyboard. I loved hearing him trying to capture the mood of the action.

One of the boys, Cadet, decided to stay over last minute. He phoned his mom and said, "Mom, can I stay over? I gave my keys to Jock and Curly. They are coming over to get my stuff. Make sure you give them my X-Box." So Jock and Curly went off to his house to get his stuff because Cadet was too involved in a game and just couldn't go home.

Later, they realized they needed a piece of hardware that only Computer Geek has. They phoned him and The Boy and Jock set off again to bring it back.

I love that all the boys live within a 15-minute walk of each other. I love that they walk to each other's houses instead of ask for rides. I love that they make their imperfect plans and come up with ways to improvise. I love that they share the work to bring about the objective of having a sleepover together.

So despite all the temptations in the market to get kids to be inactive, and despite my having succumbed to some of those tactics in my time, I am glad The Boy has found a group of friends in the hood whose parents are okay with them trundling between each other's houses.

They're pretty great kids. But lest I think them too fabulous, this is what they did. They tracked mud all over the front porch and hall way. They put their empty Warhammer cases in the shower for some reason. When I turned on the shower this morning, the cases got wet. I asked them to remove the cases, which they did, dripping a trail of water across the bathroom floor and carpet. They stayed in their pajamas all day and refused to wash, continuing with their battles as if no sleep occurred between last night and this morning. They happily ate their food when I put it in front of them and even put all their dishes back in the kitchen, but the basement is a mess and I can't bear to look down there any more.

And it's after 9:30 the next night now. Some of them are still here! One has gone home and come back. He had to go home to do homework! It's March break. What homework? He said he didn't want to get the low marks he did last term. How low? The lowest was 79. He aims to get over 85 in everything. I understand this kid, but The Boy thinks he's an alien.

I've fed them two dinners, one breakfast and one lunch now. How much fabulousness can I take?

Ha. I hear The Boy telling them to go home now. He's realized he can still catch some of Desperate Housewives if they leave.