If you can't cut the fool, stay out of the mud

Last night my dad showed up at my door around 8:00 asking for help. He had let my cousin's child and her three friends come over and play on his four wheeler and mule. Well as teenagers will do, they went where they weren't suppose to and sunk all of it in a mud hole. A mud hole the size of Texas that is.

So reluctantly I put on some old clothes and went to help. When I arrived the teenagers, two girls and two boys, were completely covered up to their waist in black mud. Most of their faces were covered too. Yes, I laughed at them. I explained to my dad what we needed to get the vehicles out and I stayed with the kids and vehicles as he took my truck to get the supplies.

Now I know I'm getting on in age but I've honestly never felt like an old dude. I can hold my own in the gym, play sports with most people and still laugh at the stupid things in life but I guess it's been awhile since I've spent any time with some real teenagers (as opposed to the fake ones I guess). Here they were muddy, cold and in a lot of trouble with my dad and they were having the time of their lives. They were laughing, cutting up and throwing mud on each other. All I could think was I didn't want any mud on me and I'd rather be home in bed.

After observing them for a few hours I almost came to the conclusion that they were just immature. That was until one of the girls asked me if my hair had turned gray. I said "yes," to which she replied, "Gee! You sure are old!" She's right, I am. They weren't acting immature, they were acting their age. An age I don't identify with anymore because I'm an adult now.

It struck me as funny because until then I hadn't realized how much I've grown up. I hadn't thought I had moved so far from those crazy teenage years. I still had it in my mind that I could 'hang' and 'cut the fool'. No, I didn't see myself as the cool older guy the kids would like to spend time with, I just thought I would still see fun the same way they do. Well I can't.

I was embarrassed of them and for them, yet they were clueless that their behavior was anything but normal. As they ran around acting silly I just shook my head. I had to tell them over and over to get out of harm's way. They had no focus and no control over themselves. All I saw was a dirty job I wanted to finish and get home. All they saw was more opportunity to play.

When we finally got everything out they all thanked me. They wanted to hug me with their muddy wet selves (I don't think so!). When I got home I explained to the wife all the problems we had getting the stuff out and why it took so long. She asked why they would take stuff that wasn't theirs and take a chance of getting it stuck and tearing it up? I told her, "because they're teenagers." She said she couldn't understand what they were thinking. I told her I couldn't either and then we went to bed, like the old married couple we now are. Thank the Lord.