Cooties!

Whatever happened to boys and girls not liking each other until oh, maybe 9th or 10th grade? We always thought: Who wants boy germs? Boys have cooties!!

If only.

Things are different now. That's what our parents said, too, right? Everything is happening at a "much younger age" than when I was growing up.

But we know that's not really true. We just have a different perspective as the grownup now. I know when I look back in my old diaries, I was 13 and liking a different boy every week. Girls were fickle then and they are now. Boys may be, too, but I didn't have that angle.

Compared to other school years, Carter has been pretty secretive this year about who he likes and doesn't like. But a mom knows things. Frankly, he doesn't really hide it well.

For example, tonight we had to work concessions at the high school boys basketball game. When Carter called me at work when he got home from school, I suggested he just stay home and do homework because we would be at the school from 5:15 to 8:45 probably. "But everyone's going!" Then you better get your homework done by the time we get home at 4:55 p.m., I said.

When I called him when we were about 10 minutes away, he wasn't done but said he would bring it with to school and finish it there before the high school game. (How motivated!) I said he also better play in Pep Band, too, as long as he was going to be there early. He agreed but quite reluctantly -- I guess because it would cut into time with the girls.

How do I know this? Not really any super detective work. Just walked into the house and it smelled like someone took a bath in cologne.

Apparently that is what boys do to kill their cooties because the 4 girls that hovered around him at the game were not afraid.

Darn it all. Not afraid one bit.