kiwords

A few days ago the boys came in from playing outside, all aglow with the night air and bike riding and, as it turns out, controversy.

"So we were riding our bikes down the street, and everyone was going off the ramp in front of the P-'s house, right?" Tre was eager to tell the story.

"But we were the only ones wearing helmets," Max broke in, not wanting to be left out.

"Yeah, and some of the guys were making fun of us, patting us on the head and saying, 'Oh look, how special they are! Look how safe!' You know, just being jerks."

"So you know what we did?" Max said, nodding at Tre.

"We told them about Craig James," Tre finished.

Craig James is their friend whose life was changed forever by a brain injury. And although it wasn't a bike accident that hurt him, it stunned me that they have connected the dots on their own, that they understand how precious and fragile heads can be.

"Right," said Max, somewhat smugly, "and then they shut up."

These boys, these near men? I know they're my sons, but sometimes they surprise me.