I Don't Play With Marbles

On the last day of Kid’s Club with the teams, a twelve year old boy from Totus Park was around, and I asked him to play marbles. He said, “I don’t play with marbles,” implying he was too old for such things. This guy isn’t a regular part of what we do, but most of the boys love playing marbles. I didn’t press the issue, and was just happy that he was there for the day.

I kept an eye on him and his brothers as they have a tendency to get in trouble. For the most part they did well playing kickball, the bean bag game, balloons, and other activities. Towards the end, I got a game of eternal dodgeball going, and he ran up to me, and said, “Can you hold these for me?” I held out my hand and he gave me 4 marbles. I was surprised for two reasons: 1. He trusts me to keep his marbles safe, and 2. Apparently he wasn’t too old for marbles.

This small interaction reminded me of how important Kid’s Club is. It’s important because we provide a place where “kids can just be kids.” For 2 hours that Friday, he could just be a 12 year old boy and play marbles and have fun. He didn’t have to worry about appearing stronger or tougher than everyone else. He didn’t have to worry about being made fun of or hurt. He could put down his guard, have fun, and do things 12 year old boys are supposed to do.