None of the 13 boys in my class live with both their father and mother. Zero. Zip. Zilch. Four of the boys see their dads with any regularity. The other nine have a relationship that falls somewhere on the continuum between “transient” and “absent”.
Thus, February is one of the most important months of my year. We spend this month going through a bible study about relationships and how to treat women. While we touch on the subject throughout the year, this is the time we hit it hard and intentionally. For boys who don’t see things like husbandry and fatherhood lived out well, it’s a crucial developmental checkpoint.
The month isn’t without it’s giggles, however. Anytime you broach the subject of females up with adolescent boys, you are bound to have some classic moments.
Last night we were talking about where you can go to find quality ladies who are about what the boys are striving to be about. God. Education. Strong character.
The first answer was good: church. The second answer was pretty good: the library. The third answer was long in coming. It was a classic case of “I’m going to raise my hand to answer the question without a thought already in my brain”. Sometimes spontaneity works out. Sometimes it leaves more to be desired.
I call on the kid and he is silent. You can see the wheels turning, but they aren’t making much butter. After he struggles for a few seconds, I’m getting ready to bail him out. There comes a point where you just have to hit the “eject” button before the whole thing goes up in flames. My internal clock is ticking down. 5…4…3..2..
And right before I can play the part of congress and bail the kid out, he conjures up an answer.
The blood bank.
Well, I can give him credit for originality. I’m not sure that the Blood Bank has been suggested as a place to meet women of quality before. But perhaps the kid has a point.
If the woman is donating blood (as opposed to selling plasma), she is clearly generous. Generosity is good. And the blood bank screens you for drug use and STD’s, so if she is a repeat donor she’s at least clear on those fronts. There is even an economical slant to the idea. The blood bank I went to had CNN running. You got free juice and granola bars. That’s a cheap date. Plus, you’re strapped down to that chair for 30 minutes or so. You can get a lot of quality conversation in over 30 minutes. And I’m going to guess that you speak with way more honesty as you get light headed from a lack of blood. That cut’s down on that whole getting past the facade awkwardness that most dates have.
So you heard it here first, folks. If you want to meet the woman (or man) of your dreams, head to your local blood bank. You’ll be doing a good deed and finding love all in one convenient stop.
Renew and Restore
