Animal Kingdom

Augie is going on a field trip with his Cub Scout group tomorrow after school.

I've been on these field trips before. I don't envy the chaperones. Something about boys getting together plus being in that uniform brings out their inner bear cub.

I thought briefly about going on tomorrow's outing. The group is going on a tour of the local newspaper and I still have friends there. It would be fun to see everyone.

And then, cue the footage in my brain of the time I helped chaperone the trip to the fire station. I was the only girl there -- not just the only female chaperone, but the only female in the entire building. There I was, a lone gal in a sea of males: firemen and dads and eight or nine or three-hundred little boys. And while I think it's amazing and admirable that men seem to have an insanely high tolerance for impish behavior from boys, I felt like I'd have a tic by the end of the morning. So many antics, so few people addressing them!

So I won't be there for tomorrow's trip.

This afternoon, as I was giving Augie instruction on how to behave tomorrow, I reminded him of what we expect when he is out in public, most especially when he is out without mom or dad.

"You need to have good self-control," I preached, "no acting crazy or being wild."

"But mom," pleaded Charlie, stepping in for his brother, "it's just his nature."