Other Peoples Kids

This weekend I had the extreme privilege of hanging out with my two youngest boys in Wausau for Scott W.'s State Bowling Tournament. But that's a different story.

This story is about the other kids I got to observe at that Tournament.

There were literally hundreds of kids and they were al so well behaved, it was just a great example of a bunch of kids being great.

A few of them stood out to me.

I have this habit of observing kids and wondering how right I can be about their personalities as I see them or imagine them, and what the reality is between what I see and what they're like at home.

Sometimes I just make stories up for people, but it's really entertaining when it's kids.

So I didn't really notice any one yesterday, but today four kids in particular really knocked me out. I even had to share my observations with my son Josh and I've NEVER done that with anyone!

The first was this cute as a button little dude with a red baseball cap, a plaid shirt and jeans & tennis shoes. Classic All-American little boy. Probably 5 or 6 years old.  And quite the little man too as he carefully, yet proudly lugged the big order of food from the snack bar that he beat his parents into buying for him.

He was a joy to watch. Very neat about cleaning up the mess too.

And then I thought about what he's probably like at home.

And I decided, "yeah, this is a boy who has tantrums that make his parents wish they'd have dropped the extra coin on some condoms that one night".

At least they can take him out in public!

The second kid was a young girl, maybe 13 or 14 if I had to guess. And I do have to guess because I have no clue by looking at someone how old they may be.

Anyway, she was really pretty, blonde hair in a pony-tail and these cool "executive woman" glasses. She was a decent bowler and it was the bowling I noticed first.

She was bowling against Scott W.'s team and she has a great approach and follow through. Very slow and deliberate. If she'd get a strike she'd celebrate in a mild way, but if she got anything other than a strike, she'd stomp her foot and act like it was the balls fault and not hers.

Then she really made me smile.

After a turn she came up past Josh and I and grabbed some food from the snack bar and went back to the lane. Her turn again.

After she bowls she comes back and starts eating. And doing her nails with nail polish!

I sh*t you not.

Then took her turn again and when the ball slipped off her greasy hand and she got a gutter ball she didn't stomp her foot. She checked her nails.

What a girly girl!

The third kid was awesome. Another little dude in the 4 to 6 range.  A little on the chunky side, with extremely curly strawberry-blonde hair about collar length.

He was the opposite of the first kid. He was nuts! Had some extreme cartoon or gamer T-Shirt on and he was wearing these clear goggle glasses and running around like he thought he was a super hero or something.

Happy as could be. Zipping around the place full tilt with his bug eyes. He was a Kraft Macaroni & Cheese commercial waiting to happen!

I told Josh, "the only thing that ticks this kid off is if Mom forgets the Twinkies" , Josh tried real hard not to laugh.

The fourth kid was a young girl of 11 or 12 on Scotty's team.

I met her yesterday and had the strangest feeling that I knew her.

Couldn't place her for anything though.

Today I ask Josh if she looks familiar to him, and she doesn't. I tell him I know her from somewhere.

Moments later it occurs to me. I do know her!

A year or two ago a guy comes into the store with this little girl who has to do a school project about something and she picked: Harley-Davidson Motorcycles! So of course I told her what I could that would mean anything to her and let her get her picture taken on a bike. Another Harley story! :)

So I go up and ask her if she remembers me. No.

I ask her if she remembered her school project. "I think so; I don't know".

Blonde girls.

Gotta love 'em.

And you have got to love other peoples kids. They're awesome!