The end of an era

I knew it would happen. I told his brothers it would happen, although that did not lesson the teasing or taunting as I had hoped. Gone forever,  I fear, is the carefree just "being" of little boys. You know, when brushing your teeth or wearing matching clothes are just not on the radar. Moving, being out in the sunshine, climbing trees or conquering mythical creations are by far more important that how one looks to others.There is actually no awareness of how one looks to others. Michael was my only child who truly encapsulated all that was wonderful and innocent about boyhood wonder in this way. #1 was too busy, well, being a first born, to allow himself such freedom. #2 was always WAAAAYYY to into the tender gender to allow himself to relax on his appearance. He was a metro sexual before the word was invented.

Meantime Michael could wear the same clothes for days on end, if I let him, or never brush his teeth, again, if I let him. He did not care that we could smell his breath across the table, or that his peers might have a problem with it. He was ok with rust colored shorts and a red or orange shirt. He was ok with one pair of socks worn for a week straight, or not brushing his hair & I loved all of that about him. His brothers didn't. Far to aware of the social rules or their own self-imposed hygiene mandates, Micheal's casual neglect of all things hygienic was a constant source of battle with them. In part because they felt it reflected badly upon them. " When's the last time you took a shower?", " Mom, he wore those shorts yesterday!", " My God your breathe is disgusting". While I hated the teasing, or pleading for change, I told them it would happen, in his time, not theirs. I silently applauded him for not being swayed by their pressure.

Last night- ten p.m.- I had to tell him to put down the toothbrush & go to bed. He had been at it for a while, coming to my bedside breathing on me to have a breathe check. Scraping, flossing and brushing, then checking again. I though maybe it was due to the dentist today, then this morning, before school, not only did he have ALL new clothes in, he wet down his hair and brushed it.

I think there's a girl in the picture... "and so it goes, and so it goes. And so will you soon I supposed."