Feb 27 2009
The Beating of the Boys
So last night my daughter came downstairs red faced with her sweaty hair clinging to her round cheeks.
I asked her, “Why are you so sweaty?”
She replied in a very cocky voice, “I’ve been working out.”
Now in the few 7 years that Little C has been around I’ve never known her to enjoy let alone initiate any “working out” type of behavior. I mean this is the little girl who wanted to quit soccer because she didn’t like the “kicking, the running, or the sweating,” and there was nothing we could do to convince her otherwise.
We tried to explain the health benefits, but that didn’t work.
We tried to explain the beauty benefits, but that didn’t work.
We tried to explain the social benefits, but that didn’t work.
She didn’t like the “kicking, the running, or the sweating” and that was that. And any other “working out” type of activity? Well if it involved any of the before mentioned three, they were out as well.
So I, confused by her newly found interest, replied, “Really?”
Her in a confident matter of fact voice, “Yeah. I ran from one end of the bed to the other 56 times. I did some push ups. I did some crunches.”
Me, “Why are you working out?”
Her, “I want to get stronger so that I can beat Aaron.”
Me, “You want to beat Aaron?”
Her, “Yeah. I’m tired of him beating me at Mercy. I want to beat Aaron. I’m getting so strong. I’m totally going to beat him tomorrow.”
And there it is.
The call of the beating of the boys.
If I had only known it would be so easy to inspire her.
****************************************
For those of you who don’t know the childhood game of Mercy, here’s an explanation from Wikipedia .
“Two players face each other and grab their opponents hands (opponent #1’s right hand to opponent #2’s left hand, opponent #1’s left hand to opponent #2’s right hand, interlocking fingers or thumbs with fingers wrapped around an opponent’s back part of the hand). On the word “go”, each opponent attempts to bend the other’s hands back and inflict pain by straining the ligaments and tendons in the wrist. When a player can no longer stand the pain, or reverse the situation by overpowering the other player and bending back their wrists, the player cries out “Mercy!” (or “Peanuts!” or “Uncle” in some areas) and is then defeated. The players then disengage hands and match is completed.”
