Men in training

A couple of weeks ago, a small incident occurred that has stayed on my mind ever since.

It was a hot day and our schedule was free enough that I decided to take the kids to the lake to go swimming.  We invited two of our neighbor's children as well.  But first I stopped at the grocery store for some treats for the kids.

The only male among us - our neighbor's fourteen-year-old son Master Hand Grenade - politely opened the door so we females could precede him through the entrance.

And you should have seen his face.  It was shining with joy and pride at the opportunity to express his manners.  He was being a Gentleman.  He was a Young Man, and properly behaving the way Young Men behave around women.  And he was pleased and proud about it, too.

I couldn't have been more proud of him, and he's not even my kid.

I think the reason this trivial incident stuck with me is because there are so few Young Men out there these days.  We're blessed to live in a place where many parents are training their children to be Young Men and Young Women (notice how I"m capitalizing those terms) rather than skanky teens.

Just thought I'd pass this on.