Conversations with middle school boys

Conversations with my boys as I picked each up after their first day of classes (outside the home -- at "real" schools)....

Picking up the first boy:

Me:  Hi!!  So how was it?

Boy: It was good! 

Me:  Did you --

Boy: It turns out it's in this huge room and we all have to sit where there are dots and it took me a little while to find a dot and we all get computers and I'm not sure if we'll have homework on them and the class sounds really fun because we have to come up with these inventions and the teachers are co-teaching it, there are two of them.

Me:  Wow, well is there --

Boy: And I forgot to tell you that there's this competition at the end and they used to work in groups but since of Covid we're just going to work on our own so it will mean more work but I think I will like it because I like coming up with ideas and then we have to present about them and I like doing presentations and they coach you on how to do the marketing so that will be fun, right? Oh, and I have to get my email address figured out so I can get my password so I can login to my computer, do you know how to get that? I talked to the lady in the office and she gave me this piece of paper but I don't think it has everything I need so we need to talk to someone.  Oh, and before my next class do you think you can talk to Dad about getting gas for the mower so I can mow on Thursday?

Me: Um.... yeah.

Picking up the second boy:

Me: Hi!! So how was it?

Boy: Fine.

Me: Did you learn anything?

Boy: I guess.

Me: Who was the teacher?  How many kids are in the class?

Boy:  Mom!  Why do you have to ask me so many questions???!  It was a class, I learned stuff, and it was fine!

*****

The funny thing is that these conversations could easily have been reversed, as the second boy is usually much more verbose and the first can sometimes be moody.

That's the thing about middle school boys-- you never are quite sure what to expect!