Brothers and Balls

Tonight we spent the evening outside, enjoying the brisk weather and a neighborhood potluck. It was so much fun. We started an hour early, as soon as I saw that the street had been coned off to decrease the flow of traffic. 

We were sitting outside, watching the boys play on their bikes and trikes.

Slowly more kids joined in, until it was a full blown kids laughing, chalk on the sidewalk, wagon rides, bubble blowing cul-de-sac of fun!

As the kids were playing, stealing cupcakes from the dessert table and drinking more juice than they have since the last party we went to, J appeared with 4 small bouncey balls. As he threw them and chased them bouncing off cars and tables, H noticed the fun. The ball fun. 

Now in theory, they each would have played with 2 balls and would have been happy, EHHHHHH...WRONG! 

The each wanted what the other had, and they each wanted to play with their balls the way the other played with them. Well as a parent, you know that "results may vary."

Why are little boys do drawn to balls? And what makes someone else's bouncing ball so much better than your bouncing ball? 

Eventually a soccer ball and bucket of candy in a grassy lawn drew the attention away from the 4 bouncing balls of argument, and it seemed the boys had moved on to fight over something different.

But this had me thinking...why do we want what other people have, the way they have it? Terribly unrealistic way to expect life to pan out, if you ask me...

And yet we all would LOVE for life to pan out that way! 

I guess the moral of the story is that even if there are equal bouncing balls for all the boys, the soccer ball and candy may be a better option.

Someone also made super cute mini hamburger desserts! With Nilla Wafer buns! So creative, little odd tasting, but very cute!

It's 11:32pm.