Tuesday, July 25, 2006

Make Sure You Act Like a Kid Sometimes


As I was taking an early afternoon nap on the sofa I saw the blinds being closed on the floor to ceiling window adjacent to me, blocking out the late afternoon sun.

“Why did you do that”? I said groggily.

“The peeping Toms are back” was the answer.

I was being protected.

And who were these Peeping Toms that spent their afternoon taking pictures of me through a window?

Two Thirteen-Year-Old boys. Two young boys who take pictures of the apartment as well as heckle girls down on the street while humping the air. Classy. It is hard to believe such young kids can be so perverted. What happened to the days when young boys spent their time with legos and star wars figures? These kids spend their days dry humping a balcony gate while invading others' private time.

On Sunday, during the day, before our evening concert, the day was spent at Sea World.

I got to see Shamu and the Polar Bears. I got to feed the dolphins and get wet on water rides. I felt like a kid again.

Marine animals are another thing I am obsessed with (take a look at my 100 things post and you will see one number about Orcas).

As I watched these animals I loved and adored I got to thinking about my own childhood.

I was one of the lucky children. I had a childhood filled with hope and beauty and love. I got to have my innocence for as long as possible and now, as an adult, I cherish spending days reliving that childhood where everything seemed magnificent.

As the day came to an end, and we walked out of the park carrying multiple bags full of goodies I got to thinking about my peeping toms.

I was not angry or upset. I just felt sorry for them. Because, where is their childhood?

When they are all grown up with women problems are they going to look back at their childhood and love every memory of it? Or will they be in therapy discussing how their women troubles began when they were young boys who took pictures of women while they slept?

I know I am not a kid anymore. But, it is nice to know if I ever need it...Shamu is just a car ride away.

18 comments:

deepsat said...

its sad now a days kids are getting into all the wrong things! at an age when they are supposed to enjoy a carefree life, they are doing what sick minds do!! and i dont think its something which they can look back when they are old and be proud about it!

one of my friend had spent an evening with her 10yr old neighbour kido to watch a movie. a week later the kido proposed to her and started giving calls !!

i guess its bad upbringing end of the day!!!

Slim said...

I grew up at an early age. I'm always the responsible one. But, every once in a while I remind myself that life is short and I don't have to be the mature grown-up all the time.

We went on a Duck Cruise in Baltimore the other day. It's a cruise that drives around the city in WWII Ducks and then takes you into the water on a tour of the inner harbor. The kicker-they hand out these plastic noise makers that sound like a duck call and are shaped like a duck-bill. At first I was reticent to quack at passers-by. Then, I decided it would be fun to be juvenile and The Girl and I went Quack-crazy. It was GREAT! Great Post!

minijonb said...

Sea World was a good time when I was a kid. I never got burned out on it like I did with Disneyland (8 visits in 4 years). But nothing could beat the tide pools at Abalone Cove - that's the real sea world.

Scott said...

13 year olds taking pictures of you... that is really creepy.

Looked fun at Seaworld.

Scott

Anonymous said...

It's weird, in on one hand we want kids to grow up and be mature but on the other we want them to stay innocent and behave like kids.

Young ones are constantly bombarded with conflicting messages and I wonder what part that plays in this "deviant" behaviour. While I generally don't blame media — tv and movies — for any particular behaviour (it is the parent's responsibility in the end to educate and control their kids) I'd have to say that the focus on sexuality must play some role in shaping the behaviour of young boys.

In the end, when these kids grow up and think back to these days I'm sure they'll think their childhood was fantastic. Their experiences may be different from our own but it's all they know. They'll probably just think, "hey, remember when we were thirteen taking pics of all those hot girls in their houses." and smile — with a possible high-five in there somewhere ;^)

In other news, sounds like your Sea World trip was a blast.

mollymcmo said...

what a bunch of little pervs!

i've never been to a seaworld but have been to similiar parks in canada, there is something about the whales and dolphins that make you feel like a kid again.

m

CP said...

Glad you had a better time at Sea world than I did.

Speaking from an older boy's point of view, most of my memories from the age of 13 came from peeping at girls so I won't slight them for that, but hopefully they'll give more respect when they see that later in life they will have to earn it.

Kathryn Craven said...

did you see whale sex? and dolphin sex? best part of seaworld. that and getting to pet the dolphins. growing up is totally overrated.

Keshi said...

some pervy kids...thats scary!

Keshi.

shpprgrl said...

They sound creepy, and have too much time on their hands! Glad you had a fun day! Hope you got some cool souvenirs! (which is the best part!)

-J said...

At least they aren't torturing pets.

Rachel Heather said...

deepsat - ok that is kind of funny that he proposed LOL

work in progress - that sounds like so much fun! We don't have any duck cruises here :( well not that I know of anyway

minijonb - yeah sea worlkd is hardto get burned out on. they have grown quite a bit as well - probably since the last time you went

scott - even more creepy was them humping their balcony while heckling passerbys on the street below.

mike - good point! And yes, I do think it is the parents responsibility. The funny part was when their dad came out on the balcony to throw stuff on the bbq they turned into little angels. It is just weird that they have pictures of me sleeping, so who knows what else they have pictures of!

molly - you are rightt - maybe it is about the dolphins. I know whenever i see them I feel all giddy :)

CP - peeping is normal - but did you take pictures with a digital camera? LOL

Kat - no, they did not put on any sex shows for me.
:( I saw a special on tv once about dolphins and sex - I found out dolphns are some horny lil mammels

Keshi - not scary..but gross nontheless

shpprgrl - ohh I got plenty of goodies :) We walked out of there with bags and bags full of stuff! Including my new GIANT Shamu stuffy LOL

J - touche :)

CP said...

Well, digital cameras weren't around back then...

Oh...of course I wouldn't have done that!
Haha.

Anonymous said...

When you say it like that it gets a little creepier. Mabye you should give them a little taste of their own medicine. Start taking pics of them humping the railing.

Twisted DNA said...

I do understand that it is creepy to see 13 year old boys beign peeping toms. But do remember that most boys do peep at one time or the other. They just didn't have a camera to take pictures that's all. So while I think it's a bit creepy, I don't think they are perverted.

@Mike Stickel : What? Dude, they will start selling tickets!

Robert said...

You make me miss OC and southern cali with this thread Rachel!!! Have you been to knotts berry farm, wax museum or magic mountain lately??? I went and saw keiko when he was being kept here in seaside... he was swimming and all of a sudden we saw this *appendage* grow from him.... our tour giude announced *apparently keiko is feeling a lil excited today* LOL we got to see a whale penis in full erection!!!! too funny!!! Totally right on about acting like a kid as well Rachel anyone got a pez dispenser????

twobuyfour said...

Nice post, RK. Personally, I can remember doing lots of stupid things as a 13 year old boy. And as an 18 year old boy, and a 28 year old boy. Most of these things were simply to see if we could get away with them, not to actually hurt anyone. I never took pictures of people in their homes, nor have I ever dry-humped a bannister (that I recall). It sounds to me like these boys need a positive role model. That's what's missing from most boys' lives these days. They look to TV for clues on how to act, instead of to their old man or coach or teacher. Have you tried befriending them?

Sea World is marvelous (although hugely expensive!). I can remember going there with a girl a few years ago and sitting in Shamu Stadium before the show. They were showing people from the audience up on the Jumbo-Tron. Suddenly, my date pointed and laughed, covering her face. I looked, and saw my brother! I looked all around the stadium trying to figure out where he was... until my date pointed out that it was me on the screen, not him.

Oh. I didn't recognize myself. Der.

Mike Florey said...

Yep, Act yer shoe size. Sometimes.
Uncle Mike