One for the BOy
BOy # 9
… ’cause that’s what he’d always been told.
But BOys don’t always do as they’re told – do they? Or they’d never get anywhere. Where did this lad come from …
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BOy # 8
… but not big enough for handshakes.
Begs a BOy question … WHY are bear hugs, group hugs, cuddles, kisses (and tears) totally acceptable and applauded on footy fields and in sporting arenas ….. yet in school yards, work places, and often the homes of growing lads, it’s often viewed as a sign of immaturity, weakness or ‘gayness’ - inviting tags such as ’Mummy’s BOy’? A BOy’s rite of passage can be a lonely place.
BOy # 7
… with a firm grip on what he’s got.
BOy culture seems to load lads up – sometimes, with more than BOy can bear. And if BOy can’t bear it – saying so isn’t an encouraged option, because BOy is supposed to be tough – right? Or maybe it’s BOy culture that’s wrong? Maybe BOy should be valued for his sensitivity, honesty, authenticity, difference and ability to grow and evolve beyond the confines of BOy stereotyping - rather than his worth being measured by size, strength, toughness and how much he can do? I had a refreshing conversation with a bloke a while back, who talked about his close friend who’d taken his own life. His honesty was astrounding …
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BOy # 6
… and sometimes he doesn’t.
BOy is often told; ”You know what you’ve got coming to ya!” But when BOy doesn’t. When BOy gets it wrong. Does it make what he got – right? And why should BOy have to be brave in the face of the cowardly acts of others? Why does he think he should be able to get there in time to change the course of bad things? Will he remain forever frozen on the edge of anticipation? Will there come a time when it’s safe for BOy to say “I don’t know?” When BOy is encouraged to feel and react to his own emotions and pain? When he can warmly and sensitively console another – BOy? Say ‘yes - it hurts’ and ‘no – that’s wrong’ ? To thaw and skip like stones beyond his tightly bound existence? We live in hope? I wonder ……. and I’m sorry to a BOy who had to swallow a punch the other day …
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