Today I overheard a couple of boys, about 11 years old, trying to peer-pressure another set of boys to disregard some rules that were posted. As the pressuring boys performed a stunt, directly ignoring the rules, they heckled the other pair, telling them to join in.
One of the rule-minding pair said, what I would coin as my favorite phrase of the day:
“I’m not a pansy if I’m listening to my parents.”
The pressuring boys continued in their mischief, still calling out, taunting and teasing. I took pleasure out of the fact that they rule-minders did not bend, but continued eating ice cream, continuing to establish that he was holding his ground.
Oh, this gives me hope. I hope that one day, that is my son (who is only four) saying that. Thank you for posting this!
Isn’t that great, Kelli? I fought my tongue to say something, but thought me making a big deal out of it might just be counter-productive. 🙂