School Spirit

Ever noticed how, whenever there’s a few old fancy clothes and things lying around, it’s usually the boys who can’t help themselves and end up prancing around with some frilly lace thing on their head or twist their ankle falling from Mum’s high heel shoes? When they grow up, it usually ends up being an apron while they’re drinking around the barbecue, and a lamp shade when they’re finished. I suppose not a lot tends to change for boys from childhood to backyard boganhood, eh?

I found myself thinking about this thanks to a picture on another blog recently. This one features this little feller dressed in a stunning little pink ballerina number. Okay, the little tyke’s all of a few years old and has to stretch up to scratch his head, but he’s a little bloke wearing a pink tutu! Yes, his sister dressed him in it and he’s too young to know any different, and besides, it’s all fun and games when you’re that little, but still!

To be honest though, I found the picture rather cute and amusing, and I reckon it’s great! If any male in the country claims to have never worn female clothing in their life then they’re just out and out lying! When you’re a kid you do stuff like that. You totter around the house in Mum’s high heels that she hasn’t worn since Cocky was an egg. Your big sister attacks you with a box of hair clips. You come home from Nan’s place one afternoon to proudly show Dad your newly painted fingernails in the latest pensioner colours. You’re a kid. It’s fun

In fact, it’s typical developmental behaviour. A kid with a healthy upbringing and imagination does stuff like this. According to this American doctor with more credentials than me and letters after his name that probably actually mean something, this is all standard stuff and nothing to be worried about. Dad’s can be embarrassed though, that’s fine. Just take young Jack out into the shed later on and give him another manly lesson in the noble art of burping. That’ll sort out any gender imbalance you may be concerned with.

I remember much the same happening a few years back… but this was with nine year olds…

I don’t know where the dress ups came from, but they appeared one Friday afternoon from the back of some cupboard in the classroom during Free Time. The girls weren’t interested at all. As for the boys though… you’d think it was Christmas. They were prancing around in all sorts of dresses thrown over the top of their uniforms and mincing back and forth on display to anybody who’d look and giggle in little soft shoes and parasol hats. The cheeky little showboats even willingly posed for photographs when I slipped out the camera, complete with super model postures, although somewhat mismatched by their frumpy choice of clothing.

But then one of their mums turned up to take the kid home early.

Fair dinkum, it was the quickest change of outfit I think I’ll ever see a boy make! He was out of those clothes so fast he almost took his own off as well and was back in front of mum in a flash with a slightly flustered look on his face, his bag on his back, and hurrying mum out the door before she had time to inquire as to why everyone was laughing.

Just a pity he’d forgotten the clip on earrings…