Batman Begins

Today's my first day of 1 week and 2 days of vacation and I've spent an exorbitant amount of time trying to line up Batman's crotch. I want it to be just perfect. You see, Cole celebrated his 7th birthday yesterday. Alex had at least five theme changes in her bedroom by the time she was 7, so we thought we should give Cole a chance to choose his own bedroom theme. (He's had "sports" since the age of two.) We really couldn't think of anything else to get him since he has practically everything except a cell and his own laptop.(Grandparents got him a hamster, godparent got him a Batman costume, friends even had to resort to giving him cash...)Anyway, I divert. As I struggled to stick the Batman Fathead on the wall (I sure could've used Alex), almost tearing three of the jagged edges of the dark knight's cape, it occurred to me how boyhood is such a foreign world to me. For example,

1)The Clone Wars on Saturday night (with eight boys). Cole opined that this episode was the best Star Wars movie, by far.

"What are you talking about Cole? They completely cut out the love story! It was, like, all fighting!"

"Exactly!!"

2)Cole is so completely happy with his new room. He doesn't suspect the remotest amount of injustice that Alex actually has two bedrooms in the house with beautiful themes that has already cost us thousands of dollars. Cole's probably amounted to $200. Tops.

3)When I take the kids shopping, I can buy Cole a pair of jeans and he's perfectly content. Alex would be livid if she came home with one pair of jeans. Cole usually ends up with some piece of junk toy to counter my feelings of guilt over the inequity of my spending. Then, of course, it becomes "his lucky day!".

Or my lucky day. I remember when my friend Sharon told me how much she hoped I had a boy during my second pregnancy. I thought "what a strange statement" since I was having so much fun with my girl. But now I understand. Of course, I love them both the same. (Although I sometimes tell each of them that I love the other more if they think I'm treating them unfairly.) But I do enjoy comparing the gender differences. It gives me so much material to write about...