Friday, January 9, 2009

When Harry met Sally

I was in one of my 8th grade classes today watching my kids during their earned "fun Friday" period. They work for a few weeks, then they get a period to play Math games, listen to ipods and hang out. It is one if my favorite times with them. I get to see them more relaxed, more real, and observe the real them.

Today, for some reason, they were more at home and comfortable, and they seemed to forget I was there. There was this one boy, I will call him Harry, and he is a cutie. He knows it. Then there is a girl, we will call her Sally.

Today in class, the kids are hanging out, doing their own thing. Harry walks past Sally and she puts her hand out. He puts his out, as if to high 5 each other, you know. But they clasp hands for a few seconds. it was sweet. He sat at a desk behind her, talking to someone else. She turned around and ran her hand over his hair. He has this really soft looking buzz cut. it, too, was sweet.

These kids are so loud, and rude, and sometimes disturbing. They can be mean and push limits. Even the big tough ones, like Harry.

Then I see him sit and look at Sally. He doesn't hold her hand in a girlfriend-I-Like-you-sort-of-way but it was a definite something. It isn't a pushy, dominating, show-off thing. Just...well... {sigh} the kind of thing that I know, as a former 13 year old girl, was melting her heart, sending butterflies through her stomach, and going to result in an immediate round of text messages as soon as the last bell rang today.

I, my friends, was the witness of that rare and beautiful thing. Young romance. Blossoming Love. What fairy tales are made of.



It just made me think of how truly lucky I am. to watch them at this stage in their lives when things are so tumultuous. new experiences. things they don't always understand. sometimes it makes them hard to deal with. sometimes it makes them impossible. sometimes it makes them incredible to know. and I get to be there. to share the lives of these kids. every. day.

2 comments:

Aubree said...

and to think....two days ago you were ready to inflict physical harm on them all. is this a preview of our lives as mothers of teenagers.....

Sue Wilkey said...

Awww that is so sweet - and I think it explains why some of us are so taken with twilight- it reminds us of how that felt.