Teenage Angst

We went to a concert at the high school last night. It was actually a Pink Floyd cover band with a laser show to boot. Of course, I was a little hesitant to go because I kind of came "of age" in San Francisco and the Pink Floyd laser shows there were UNBELIEVABLE. Still, we figured that the kids wouldn't know any better and they might like it. They did. The lasers were cool and we got to wear 3D glasses which makes everything more fun.

The best part of the concert for me, however, was watching the row of teenage boys in front of us. It was fascinating!! There were probably 10-12 boys all in a row and, if you studied closely enough, you could figure out the social standing of each and every one of them based on their position in the row. At different points during the concert there was a lot of switching of seats and some moving around. The most critical point came when two girls arrived.

Two of the bravest boys moved forward to see what was what with this new "presence". I was able to follow the entire scenario based on body language alone. The boys jostled for position, then the girl made her choice. However, once chosen, the boy wasn't quite sure what to do about it. He got himself in position next to her and I waited to see if the arm went tentatively around her shoulders. (It didn't). The poor girl was giving him signals like crazy but he was SCARED TO DEATH.

Let me be clear about one thing. It was all very sweet and innocent. There was nothing untoward happening at all - just the usual high school boy/girl "stuff". As a matter of fact, all of the boys in the row were extremely well behaved and polite. And there were a LOT of them so that's saying something.

So this poor girl is giving off signals that could be picked up from outer space and the boy was really focused on the concert... Sort of. You could tell that he was aware he should be doing something, he just didn't know what that should be. At one point, the girl and her friends were messing around and they shoved her into his lap. The poor boy froze like a statue. It really was almost painful to watch. He was VERY careful not to touch her. At all. She was clearly inviting him to rest his hands on her waist or her shoulders or SOMETHING and he sat there like King Tut with his arms laid across his chest.

She gave up and returned to her seat beside him. He continued to talk with her and enjoy the concert beside her, rspectfully. I should also add that I know the boy. He's a friend of my nephew and he's a really good kid. The kind of kid that you want your kid to be friends with. Solid parents, solid values, nice kid. So I was kind of relieved when he didn't make any "moves". I felt like he bought himself a few more minutes of just being a kid and for that I was grateful.

We didn't stay until the end of the concert. Zoe was thirsty, Max was hungry and everyone was starting to whine. That's just where we are right now. Still, it was fun to witness and remember the drama of new relationships, young love and nervous confusion. So not ready to watch it with my kids!!!