My lad (aged 12) decided it was high time to cheer himself up – after 21 weeks of no contact with chums, none of the usual little joys etc.
Now, I know that this isn’t a ‘necessary’ purchase, but given all of the misery around us – the purchase of a small, raspberry flavoured Slush Puppy – is actually quite sanity-saving for this particular boy.
In the past, he has visited the local sweet shop with friends after school, without telling me (and then denied buying a Slush Puppy until I yelled ‘WHY ARE YOUR LIPS BRIGHT BLUE THEN?‘) but, of course, we’re in West Yorkshire and back on re-restrictions now, so he cannot see any friends. On preparing him to wander down the lane and buy his little treat, I made sure he scrubbed his hands etc and then asked him where his mask was.
He produced it. And I yelled ‘WHAT ON EARTH HAVE YOU DONE TO YOUR MASK?!”
“I drew Manga all over it,” he said. “It’s not like I go anywhere to wear it. And anyway. It looks cool.”
It did not ‘look cool’. It looked minging. And it would freak the shop assistant out. So, what is his next move? He locates my own mask (waiting to be washed etc) and shoves it over his gob. “This do?” he says.
I keep saying that the youth are our future, but now that might be too positive a thing to be repeating.
