On a happier note...

This morning a group of kids got on the train on my way to work. (You're thinking you have the wrong person's blog, I know I know...just keep reading)

It was a group on a field trip. There was a teacher, probably a guy in his 30's (sorta cute if I do say so myself) and a woman chaperone (probably a parent to one of the kids) plus about 20 kids I think.

Anyhoo...they were probably in like...5th or 6th grade is my guess. And I got a really big charge outta watching them. The boys entered the door and went to their right (to stand in front of my seat) and the girls went to their left and away from me. That right there was interesting. Once they hit middle school and then high school, you see them mix more. But not these kids. Girls were with the girls and boys were with the boys and not because they were being made to be that way...except genetically, that is.

I thought about how innocent they were. How all they wanted to do was talk and chat with their friends. There were two guys, a bit on the "thug" side of life, standing near them on the train with jeans so low their privates were probably just barely in their pants and I thought how these kids will change. I thought about how puberty is horrible. I thought about how these boys, who were so just into good, fun, conversations with their friends would possibly end up like these two thug-like boys who, even for that early hour, looked like the dudes who try to pick you up in a bar with horrible lines and basically are only out to score. Sex being there primary goal.

The goal for these kids? To have fun. To enjoy a day outside the classroom. To talk with their friends. It was a nice change.

I live in a city where I see a lot of bad adult behavior...so to see innocence was cleansing in a way for me.

But the best moment of all? One boy ventured over to the "girl area", innocence all over him. A seat opened and he sat. At the next stop the seat next to him opened and a girl plopped into it but then bounced right back out to talk to her friend some more. The boy then did something that made me smile.

Instead of waving a buddy to join him he looked at the girls, stood up, got their attention, and then motioned for them to take the two seats together. They smiled and thanked him and sat. He then walked to the doors to stand next to me, catching my big smile on my face I'm sure. He knew I caught him being a little gentleman and he seemed pleased...even though it was obvious the gesture was totally second nature to him. Probably has men in his family that give their seats to women and bravo to them for that.

And bravo to this kid who would do that at his age. Hell, not all adult men even do that. I've seen grown men ignore an injured woman (me) or a pregnant woman (SO not me) and keep their seat. But here was this 5th or 6th grader giving his seat to the girls.

It warmed my heart in stupid places. :)

Allison Armstrong calls them "Pages"...basically "Knights in training". And to watch things she's taught me about Pages displayed for me this morning was a treat.

Tamsin :) xo