Arrows are flying

And this time, I think one of them might have hit my son! If it was the 14th he might have been prepared to duck. But, alas, he took one right to the chest.

Spring came early to this frozen wasteland. Or at least to the fifth grade classroom. But with no outdoor recess because of the temp, what do you expect?

Big C comes home with the briefest of tidbits about which girls the boys like. He has no idea which boys the girls like because he never listens to their whispers. I think he only hears the boys because they are all loud and boisterous. And, until this morning, I thought he was on the outside of all of that. Turns out, he's on the fringe. Or maybe in it, though I am not willing to admit that to myself yet.

I'll explain.

We were having a treat of a time at the local coffee spot before school. Little C was making crumbs and Big C was making conversation about structural deficiencies in the cable system of the Brooklyn Bridge and how the designer compensated for the poor quality materials by increasing the amount of it! He did! And it is still holding up the bridge deck today. (Yes, this is how our mornings usually go...)

Until...

The cute red head from his class walked in and it was like Springtime blew in with her. He sat up straighter. Avoided eye contact. I reminded him to be polite and say hello because his natural inclination is to ignore any girl that is not Miss M. As it turned out he did not need the reminder :)

He cleared his brother's trash, wiped off the table, and got himself bundled. Then he zipped Little C's jacket for him (the small one has his arm in a sling) and helped him with his one glove. He walked right up to his classmate and said with a smile, "Hi, Miss A. See you in class!" Then he walked to the front door, held it open for a woman with her hands full and then still held it until Little C and I were through. He helped his brother into the van and buckled his seat belt for him even.

Now, he is generally a well-mannered boy. But this was turning the volume way up.

And the adorable Miss A? She was grinning from ear to ear and blushing between her freckles.

After dropping off the boys I was the one grinning and blushing. Not because my darling middle child might have a crush. But because, facing that possibility, he put his best foot forward and behaved like a gentleman. He was not goofy. He was not loud. He was not rude. And he did not throw an eraser at her (that was big when I was 11).

Instead of the typical, awkward thing...he shined!

Proud Mama, signing off....