“I just want to keep you informed so you know what’s going on.”

I don’t think I’ve ever heard the boys say those words before, regarding much of anything but especially grades.  The boys, when asked, will provide me with some information…like, “Yes, I took the test,” going no further from there.  I will have to query again and again to find out what their grades from said test are.

Lucas will, sometimes, give me information on girls, or other things, without prompting.  But Zach can be like a close vault when it comes to information.  I have to figure out the right combination of questions to ask before information is forthcoming.  So, both boys do answer my questions but they rarely, if ever, provide me with the information unsolicited.  

I have to wonder if this is a boy/girl thing…I guess I could also attribute it to the youngest versus older ones.  Claire has been the witness to several of our cross examinations of the boys.  Maybe she is just trying to avoid the tortures of the “Grand Inquisition.”  But I’m going to stick to it being a boy/girl thing.  

Ever since Claire was little she has shared every scrap of information that is stored in her brain.  When she was a little, bitty girl, she has always came downstairs in the morning with her mouth, and her mind, revved up and ready to roll.  (Some of those mornings I desperately needed a roll of tape to quiet the noises coming out of her mouth.)  As she gets older, the mornings are more quiet but I still see the wheels churning in her head.  I know there’s so much that she has boiling around in that brain that wants to escape but the tired mouth and body of an almost teenager prevents the words from being able to spring forth from her mouth with the ferocity of her younger self.  Don’t get me wrong, she still shares nearly everything that’s in her brain, it’s just that the mornings have become more quiet.  

When the boys were little words used to pour forth out of their mouths as well but their minds seemed to click in around the age of five, telling them they are not supposed to share everything…there are some things that get locked up or just thrown away.  

In thinking through this as I write, questions are popping up left and right…is this a learned behavior?  Do we somehow, unknowingly, impart into our boys and girls that girls share and boys keep everything locked up?  Or is it an innate quality, some sort of throw back to our caveman days?  Is it a combination of both?  And WHY?  

I’m glad Claire wants to make sure I know what’s going on and I’m happy to listen to all of the thoughts that come bursting forth out of her mouth.  I want to make sure I always try to always keep the lines of communication open for all of them…I just wish sometimes the boys would say “I just want to keep you informed.”  

Oh, for the love of my children…