At my kids' school, they offer lots of great extra-curricular activities.
Things like sign language, cooking, reading clubs, drumming circle and sports.
Each quarter, I offer my kids a chance to choose one.
They bring home the list and we read through it together, and they tell me what they want.
S. chose French.
E. chose cooking.
And K.?
He chose knitting.
My eleven (almost twelve) year old son.
Knitting.
Now, I should not have been surprised.
This is the boy who wanted to play flute. (Asia wouldn't let him. He plays trombone.)
It's not that he's weird, it's just that he doesn't care what people think about him.
I asked him, "Don't you think the other boys will tease you if you take knitting?"
"I don't care," he said.
I tried another angle...
"Why exactly do you want to take knitting?"
"Well," he began. "If I get cold, I can make myself a sweater. And I can make scarves for Christmas presents. And besides, Mom, it's a life-long skill."
I couldn't argue with that.
So he's taking knitting.
He's making a red scarf.
You gotta admire a boy who just does whatever he wants to do without caring about what the rest of the world says is 'cool.'
I wish I could learn that.
Things like sign language, cooking, reading clubs, drumming circle and sports.
Each quarter, I offer my kids a chance to choose one.
They bring home the list and we read through it together, and they tell me what they want.
S. chose French.
E. chose cooking.
And K.?
He chose knitting.
My eleven (almost twelve) year old son.
Knitting.
Now, I should not have been surprised.
This is the boy who wanted to play flute. (Asia wouldn't let him. He plays trombone.)
It's not that he's weird, it's just that he doesn't care what people think about him.
I asked him, "Don't you think the other boys will tease you if you take knitting?"
"I don't care," he said.
I tried another angle...
"Why exactly do you want to take knitting?"
"Well," he began. "If I get cold, I can make myself a sweater. And I can make scarves for Christmas presents. And besides, Mom, it's a life-long skill."
I couldn't argue with that.
So he's taking knitting.
He's making a red scarf.
You gotta admire a boy who just does whatever he wants to do without caring about what the rest of the world says is 'cool.'
I wish I could learn that.
When my oldest daughter was in 5th grade there was a boy who brought knitting to class. He would knit each day during the time that the teacher read to the class. He wasn't a popular boy but he wasn't a super-geek either, he just was knitting a blanket and thought that the time while the teacher read aloud would be a great time to make some progress.
ReplyDeleteAmazingly, the other kids ended up thinking that it was a good idea. They all spent the year teaching each other to knit (although the really wild non-conformists crocheted instead). Eventually the students who were busily involved in handiwork during the reading time outnumbered the ones who just sat and listened. Before long the ones who just sat and listened looked really out of place. The gender thing wasn't an issue.
All because one brave boy didn't worry about what other people thought.
My daughter still crochets regularly.
Here's to boys who buck the system!
He sounds very practical, Cathy. I'd like to know how to knit someday...
ReplyDeletemaybe he'll teach me if we ever meet!!
ReplyDeletehere's to the non-conformist!! :)
(maybe he wanted to play flue because all the girls do.. we have one clarinet playing boy who chose it based on the boy/girl ratio ;))
Ya know....this has deep meaning. This is the kind of kid that will grow up and be a terrific man. He'll be a wonderful husband for some lady, not because he knits but because he is secure in who he is and is not governed by peer pressure or societal expectations. What a man! You should be so proud to be raising such a man.
ReplyDeletewow, I wish I could learn that too! that is admirable! love you!
ReplyDelete