My eight-year-old son is naturally inquisitive.
He asks questions about anything, ranging from rockets, planets and stars in space, to sea monsters and mermaids.
Most of the time, I gladly toss over the ‘questionnaire’ to the scientist in the house who, thankfully, is not me but daddy.
Problem is, his little curious mind will release bombshells at will. I guess all children come from the same planet.
So, recently, over dinner, the boy unleashed a projectile.
“Mummy, when am I getting circumcised?” he asked.
I almost choked, given that we have never travelled this path and I did not even see this coming. Meanwhile, my walking Google and right-hand man was away, somewhere in Somaliland ducking grenades in the name of work.
On a normal day, I would have attacked that question with the ferocity of a lion, but I was caught off guard. Anyway, what happened next, dear reader, is a long story — for another day.
The moral of this story is that my little man is growing. He is gradually graduating from the Ben 10 sanctuary into the real world where boys are taught to be men.
And what valuable tips can a loving and caring mother give to her maturing son?
Well, this woman did what she had to do. With a proven track record of being a lady, my boy was not going to turn out like some clueless species I have met who have no idea how to treat a lady like a queen.
My boy will not need to check into one of those Steve Harvey boy camps. They say charity begins at home and the teaching of the ‘brand new initiate’ began right there, at home with his five-year old sister.
“Remember, ladies come first,” I told him several times. You know how mummies can nag.
That day, at meal time, when he was about to serve himself first, the reminder came through, of course with a bit of tongue-lashing — no harm intended.
The same song was replayed at the playground. Little sister had been denied a scooter. Persistent mum was also present near the TV screen encouraging the young man to allow his sister to catch Dorah the Explorer.
Most parents will identify with this: Bath time, especially with the chilly weather, is not a favourite of many children. By evening, my ‘grown-up’ boy couldn’t have been gladder to let the lady, his sister hit the shower first. He obliged to this with a big, evil smile on his face.
“Why is it always me first?” complained little sister who was already bored with this new treatment.
By the end of day one, the mission was almost accomplished.
