4/1/20 We Train Them To Be Social, Now What?

    My greatest joy in fatherhood has been watching my two boys become part of teams at school, Boy was passionate about the rocket teams and even the robot teams he joined at Akins, it was fun to see him committing so much of himself to something.  He did play football too, in junior high, which is something he probably wouldn't have done on his own, but as far as what he got out of it, the friends and good times, I think it served him well.  The biggest parties we had were from those kids he met playing football.  He always had his core friends, the ones that were at the house every weekend, but he also had the rest of them, some would only come once in a while, but it had to be good for the soul to have friends at many levels, some people you can only stand to be around once in a while, but it is still better to be friends and allies with than to be whatever the opposite is.
    I feel the same with Javalina and his love of football and the track and field events he does.  He loves getting out there and being a part of something bigger than himself.  I notice he too has his core friends, the ones he allows to come to the house and spend the night, and then he has a lot of other kids I see he interacts with doing those funky little handshakes or playing grabass with as he seems to have to do with anybody that is near his size.  He is like a ram that must instantly lock horns with any other ram his size just to see how they compare.  I find this a bit odd as I was never one of those touchy grabby dudes with other dudes.
    But now what?  It seems more and more likely that to contain this nasty virus, the kids will not go to school the rest of the year, fine.  There needs to be a solution before the following school year starts or there may not be a start.  even if it starts somehow, no way will they allow full on contact football where blood and spit and so much of the individual is smeared on his opponent, and from another school or region, no way.
    Maybe I am worried about stuff I don't have to be.  Sweetie described Boy's birthday celebration as him getting together with his Dallas friends out on some virtual island.  They all have the same video game and it allows their avatars to mingle on a screen together so they managed to party together anyway.  Most nights I can try to talk to Boy in his room and I can even say hi to his friends online as they play some other video game together where thay are constantly killing dragons, or something outlandish.
    Javalina is pretty much in the same boat.  He closes his door because he is a nasty potty mouth when they are playing games online.  Sometimes I open the door to try and talk to him and he will be online with a handful of boys, so I guess kids will find a way to hang out.  He does keep asking if his friends can come over, and although we want to, it just isn't the right thing to do.  At least for now, keep meeting virtually y'all.