Derek has been using a magnifying glass to melt things in the backyard all last week. Army men being the victim of choice. He came to us and asked if he could borrow the clicker we use for the bar b que because the magnifying glass was taking too long. We sad no (and I think I added what are you crazy? just for good measure)
We told him it was dangerous and added other parental advice and off he stomped. Ha what on earth did we learn from being a boy scout for this past year? Gee Whiz.
He went back to the magnifying glass and we thought it was a done deal. Over.
That same evening after dinner I am talking to my mom on the phone and the boys are still in the backyard trying to get some weeds to catch on fire using the magnifying glass when I peek out the window and notice they have matches they are trying to light on fire with the magnifying glass. MATCHES! I say out loud "Are those matches?" and at that moment a flame was lit and the two boys took off running in two opposite directions. Dominic goes outside in time to get the flame out and the heads start rolling. The flame was not that big but big enough in my opinion that it could have been trouble or hurt someone pretty quickly.
Where did they get the matches? The boy across the streets mother gave them to him she thought we were helping with the experiment and we didn't have any matches.
Derek said the little boy brought them over and it was his idea. HA I am sure Derek asked him if he had any at his house and told him to bring them on over.
Needless to say play time was over. I marched little boy back across the street and spoke to his mother who apologized profusely and said that she thought we were in on the experiment. That is another story but I get that she would think that.
Derek spent the rest of the night in his room and I kept hammering home that we don't play with fire and giving him stories of major grass fires started in similar ways. He does not believe me. Oh no. He is so in that fearless stage. Wont happen to him. I grew more on the side that it would happen to me and I would be caught and my father would kill me. Derek does not roll like that oh I wish that he would.
We had to remind Derek that his cousin had a similar issue with fire not to long ago and spent some time in juvenile hall and has some large fines to pay and is band from his local mall. Cannot step foot in the mall.
I thought that story when it happened would scare him straight but I don't think it did.
Luckily for us he likes that show on MTV Scarred and that has curbed any crazy bike stunts now they need a show called "Burned".
Dominic read in Time magazine an article about letting boys be boys and it's a fine line for us here. How much do you let them explore on their own (playing with fire never) and how much do you reign them in. We struggle with it. Sometimes I tighten the noose and sometimes Daddy does. I just want him to grow up to be a responsible man. That's it.
I hope I pray it all sunk it. I hope this fire fascination is over.
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