Little Men

A man's sense of humor begins at age ten.

When he is nine, his humor is restricted to what I call "Shrek humor." That means his laughter is over bodily sounds being emitted--on purpose--during the stillness of a test at school.

By age ten, he has refined his wit. He has learned the subtle implication of...the tease. He never forgets this and perfects the tease for use on his future wife. We-- his teachers, his mother, his sisters--all participate, whether willingly or not, while he hones his manly skill.

My student, Parker, is a ten year old. Yesterday, I was his subject.

Shannon: Randi, why do people always say I have blond hair? I have brown hair!

Me: Shannon, as a little girl you did have blond hair. Even though your hair has gradually gotten darker over the years, I still always think of you as a blond girl. Maybe that's true for others too.

I looked around the room and spied another former blondie.

Me: For example, look at Cody. Until recently, Cody has always had blond hair. Now his hair is turning darker and is brown. Yet I still would probably describe him as a blond.

Parker: We know what you mean, Randi. We still think of you as brown-haired, even though now you are gray.

I did the womanly thing and feigned outrage. The class laughed and Parker enjoyed the attention. I smiled and promised revenge, knowing that I was only helping a boy ease into his future role as professional tease.

It was easy to be gracious when in fact I only have about seven gray hairs on my entire head.