Teens in Capes

Recently my house was overrun by teens in capes. Well, they weren’t all wearing their capes at the same time, but I’m pretty sure all thirty-three of them had capes. You’re thinking there’s a logical explanation aren’t you? Let’s just throw out some possibilities, and you can guess which one is true.

a. Our house was the epicenter of a mock catastrophe thereby attracting all of the world’s superheroes-in-training.
b. There was a huge mistake in venue for a small Star Wars convention.
c. I’ve started a ministry to youths suffering from vampire delusions.
d. Our family had the pleasure of hosting some very creative teenagers in town for a writing retreat.

If you guessed number one, you’re obviously aware of my boys’ ability to back up a toilet. If you guessed number two, you might have heard about Monkey’s obsession with Lego Star Wars. If you guessed number three, you might have read some sample chapters from my current work in progress, Brandy and the Vine. If you guessed number four, you’re right, but definitely not much of a risk-taker when it comes to test taking.

I’ve never had that many people in my house (five of them stayed with us for about a week), and I’ve certainly never fed that many people before. It was an adventure. (In case you’re wondering, chili, hot dogs, cheese dip and chips were on the menu) My boys loved having lots of big people around to pester, and my mom was treated like a queen by some of her favorite fans. But my poor husband sort of wandered from room to room with a bewildered look on his face, as though he’d come home to find an alternate universe existing in his own house.

You see, to me this is pretty normal. I grew up with kids like these because my brother tended to attract intellectual oddballs. I mean that in the nicest way. Aside from being incredibly smart, polite, and well-bred individuals, these teens march to their own drummer, or maybe zitherist. They write stunning prose, they compose and perform their own music and plays, they draw, they read voraciously, and yes, they make and wear capes.

I know they get weird looks from people. Maybe it bothers them. Maybe it doesn’t. But either way, they choose to stick to their creative pursuits, and you can bet their determination will pay off.

And did it bother me that while they were here my boys took to wearing bed sheets? Not at bit. After all, in my book, as long as they’re wearing something, we’re doing pretty well. And I wouldn’t mind a bit if they grew up to have half the talent and kindness of those caped crusaders.

Viva La Weirdos!