What do you know, chivalry is NOT dead!
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Fifth grade girls and fifth grade boys just do not speak to one another. Well, maybe if a basketball that a fifth grade boy is playing with happens to bounce over to a group of giggling fifth grade girls, he might say, "Hey, give that back" and that might require one of the giggling fifth grade girls to say, "Here," but otherwise there is no communication between the sexes at that age.
It's a miracle that our species continues to thrive.
With each of my girls I've tried to probe these mysteries, getting nowhere, of course. I recently asked Maggie, "Who are some of the nice boys in your class?" to which I got the response, "Eeewww, Mom, that's gross! There are no nice boys in my class."
But now I know that's not entirely true because of what I witnessed this morning.
Maggie had to be at school early today to read poetry to third graders. Why fifth graders are reading poetry to third graders is another mystery which shall remain a mystery for now. That's not the point of my story.
As I pulled up to the front of the school, Maggie got out of the car, and I noticed that another boy from her class--the "popular" boy who plays all sports well--got out of the car behind us. He sprinted to the front door of the school while Maggie lumbered toward the door with her heavy backpack and her extra pair of shoes (that girl is nothing if not prepared).
I watched as Maggie headed toward the building and noticed that the "cool" boy stopped, pulled the door open, and waited for her to go through. I should not have been surprised, but I totally was! I even said out loud to nobody in my car, "That was so nice!"
I was so glad I waited and got to witness that moment. I'm sure it meant nothing to the two of them, and they probably won't even remember that it happened. But that little act of kindness from a fifth grade boy to a fifth grade girl just made me so happy.
It's a miracle that our species continues to thrive.
With each of my girls I've tried to probe these mysteries, getting nowhere, of course. I recently asked Maggie, "Who are some of the nice boys in your class?" to which I got the response, "Eeewww, Mom, that's gross! There are no nice boys in my class."
But now I know that's not entirely true because of what I witnessed this morning.
Maggie had to be at school early today to read poetry to third graders. Why fifth graders are reading poetry to third graders is another mystery which shall remain a mystery for now. That's not the point of my story.
As I pulled up to the front of the school, Maggie got out of the car, and I noticed that another boy from her class--the "popular" boy who plays all sports well--got out of the car behind us. He sprinted to the front door of the school while Maggie lumbered toward the door with her heavy backpack and her extra pair of shoes (that girl is nothing if not prepared).
I watched as Maggie headed toward the building and noticed that the "cool" boy stopped, pulled the door open, and waited for her to go through. I should not have been surprised, but I totally was! I even said out loud to nobody in my car, "That was so nice!"
I was so glad I waited and got to witness that moment. I'm sure it meant nothing to the two of them, and they probably won't even remember that it happened. But that little act of kindness from a fifth grade boy to a fifth grade girl just made me so happy.
