Blue nails
by Barbara Solow
We've come to see my son's friend, Raymond, race his lucky "Silver Bullet." Looking around at the blur of blue uniforms, "God Bless America" T-shirts and paper cups brimming with Coca-Cola, we settle in for some good, clean family fun.
And then I remember: My 4-year-old is wearing blue polish on his nails.
The kids at his daycare center often paint on nail polish for fun--boys as well as girls. But somehow, I don't think his fashion choice is going to go over very well in this crowd.
In the end, nobody seems to notice or much care, until one of the Cubs leans down and whispers to my son, "When you join up, you can't wear nail polish or they'll laugh at you."
I wait for his face to fall or redden, but none of that happens. Instead, he leaps happily from his seat and begins to pound his blue-nailed hands together for the latest winner--like any another macho Scout-wannabe.
His innocence melts my heart like a race car tire in a skid. While the crowd erupts in cheers for the drivers, I inwardly pump a fist for the right to stay comfortable in our own skins.
- To create paragraphs in your comment, type <p> at the start of a paragraph and </p> at the end of each paragraph.
- To create bold text, type <b>bolded text</b> (please note the closing tag, </b>).
- To create italicized text, type <i>italicized text</i> (please note the closing tag, </i>).
- Proper web addresses will automatically become links.
Latest in Front Porch
-
Being the community
In Raleigh's Moore Square and around Main Street in Durham, we ignore people who we assume don't have housing. Rocky and those like him go to Love Wins or the Maurin House to find eye contact, to hear a "good morning," to be a part of their cities.
- May 15, 2013
-
High places
Quietly, by the guidance of our flashlights, we climbed a very long, tight spiral staircase up to the top of the Duke Chapel tower. And not just the bell-tower top, but beyond that.
- May 8, 2013
-
Blade running
There it was, for half price: a snow blade/grader attachment for my almighty DR All-Terrain brush mower. "Who doesn't need one of those?"
- May 1, 2013
- More »
