When I was a child, my Aunt Jean (she was actually my Great-Aunt) had a home where children were always welcome. There were toys, musical instruments, a trampoline, food, a pool and fields with farm animals. Other than the briars (this was Texas,) wasps and an occasional ornery animal, it was pretty much a child’s paradise. When Aunt Jean and Uncle Clyde sold the farm land to build houses and all of my cousins were grown, there were still children of all ages running through their house. I vowed that when I was a mother, my children’s friends would be welcomed in the same way. And true to my word, they are always welcome in our home.

Peter and I have a son so most of the children who run through our yard and home are boys–they still think girls are pretty much yucky. Boys are funny, energetic, sometimes a little stinky, competitive, serious and compromising. They are very concerned with fairness and negotiating the rules of a pick-up baseball, soccer, football or basketball game can take an hour. There may be coin-tossing, short stick pulling or just intense negotiations to create the rules of the game. Whining, cheating, fighting, crying and unfair advantages are not allowed. Arguments are usually followed up with a self-imposed cooling off period.

An expert is usually (unofficially) agreed upon, although status as the expert fluctuates depending on who is there that day. The expert will be allowed to make most of the rules but the majority is the deciding factor unless they are being unreasonable, in which case the whole game may be called off.

If a team has an unfair advantage due to the talents of the players, they will trade team players at certain points throughout the game to "even it up." The players play as hard for the other team as they do for their original team. They play the game for the joy of the game, the camaraderie, and the competition.

Boys at this age have a freedom and fire that has not been tempered by society, or even maturity. Despite the mess, occasional smell, and noise, I really enjoy having a rowdy band of boys run through the house and yard. They remind me of my childhood; simpler times, gut-busting laughter, and the world as a blank page just waiting for my plan!