WE HEARD of this saying Boys will be boys, and it is often used to excuse rowdiness, mischief, or any naughty behavior of boys and even of young men. Sometimes, this saying works to calm me down whenever I’m irritated by the ruckus of the boys in the neighborhood, especially during holy hours. I sometimes hush them but most of the time I just let it pass. There’s not much to do especially during this summer break when they’re kept in the house because of the pandemic.
I had this assumption that girls do better than boys in keeping themselves busy and occupied inside the house. But this could be a stereotype and gender labeling, so I wanted to do a little survey on how these random boys are coping during lockdown.
Staying home all day is fun. I never get bored. You don’t need to have a lot of stuff, sometimes a good imagination like drawing or writing a story can bust boredom, says my grandnephew, Kenzo.
We must never think that there is nothing to do; there are so many creative things to do even at home. Explore your surroundings and talents, says our friends’ son, Sandesh.
I’ve started selling the clothes I don’t need online, and I earn pocket money from it, says Lyle, a friends’ son.
If this quarantine had never happened, I wouldn’t be able to learn new stuffs about the things I like, says my nephew, James.
Reading the above excerpts from the essays these boys sent me, one can immediately tell that my assumption is wrong. Boys can be productive and able to use their time wisely. I was impressed to see that these boys have a good grasp of what is happening in the world right now. They live in different parts of the world and don’t know one another, but they seem to share the same perspective and positive attitude. Hats off to the parents who raised them!
Read more of what they shared, and you’ll feel hopeful to see what kind of men we’ll have in the future.
At the start of lockdown, my mom would make us answer quizzes and it was fun because we spent most of the time together. I never stopped finding ways to have fun. Sometimes I stay in my room and play with my action figures all day. I make videos on my channel, and I sub videos that are in a different language. I love to do research on my computer on things that are appropriate for my age. I swing on the tree swing and play with my sister. I like making her laugh by showing her the memes I make. She laughs at everything I make. If you don’t have any siblings, you can still have fun by yourself. – Kenzo Gavina Tactay, 10, San Diego, USA.
I was really bored for the first few months just doing homeschooling. Then, I figured out that there were many things to do: practicing piano and guitar regularly, learning video editing, music producing and songwriting. I also joined online acting workshops. Then after the workshops, we would do a play or musical. It’s fun to work online which made me feel like there was no quarantine. Through the workshops, I got to reconnect with old friends and made new friends, too. – Sandesh C.,11, India.
Staying home can be very boring. I only had a few activities to pass the time, like going on walks around the neighborhood with my family. When lockdown restrictions don’t allow that, I exercise at home instead. I play video games and read, too. Since we have cats, I enjoy playing with them when I have nothing else to do. – Lyle Caballero Jesuthason, 13, Malaysia.
The first quarter of 2021 was fine. But suddenly new strains of the virus had mutated and emerged, and so we’ve been locked up with not much to do except going to the internet where I learn new things and meet people from all around the world. I also have online classes, which is fine but a bit odd to me as I’m not used to this way of learning. I’ve tried out new things I’m interested to, like music production and video editing. I also started some creative projects and met people online who share similar interests and hobbies with me. I can say that I’ve had decently eventful quarantine. – James Rafael Sitchon, 14, Thailand.
