The Secret Society and The Dance Down

So it was brought to my attention the other day by some overheard conversations between Dylan and my nephew Milan, that apparently there is some elaborate secret society that has been established in the tree that they frequent. Just outside of  Grandma and Grandpas' house there is this perfect climbing tree. It is dense with leaves and branches out  in all directions, making it a dream come true for my monkey boys to climb.

So from what an outsider could gather from this conversation, Dylan is the master of the tree because he is the best climber. (Not surprising..he has all the attributes...foolishly fearless, super flexible, and excellent balance.) So this has earned him the top spot in the hierarchy with his older brother and cousin accepting their position as "workers". Being that Dylan is the boss, he also got to choose the highest and most prime branch to live on. Jake and Milan also own a branch, but theirs was as signed I believe. All have marked their "homes" by carving their names into their respective branches. (Hopefully that is the only way they have "marked" them, I've learned painfully that all things are possible among tween boys. It merely takes a the hint of dare to get them to do about anything.)

Now they don't just sit around and do nothing in this tree. It's a little community after all, and there is work to be done. The tree seems a little communist, because Dylan not only assigns the work to be done, but also determines how many monkeys Jake and Milan are allowed to have on their branch. I'm still a little perplexed as to why the older boys put up with this dictatorship, but for some reason Dylan's domain is respected so long as they are in the tree. It is worth noting, however that he takes his place at the bottom of the pecking order once out of the tree and back in real life....which probably explains why he prefers to spend so much time in the tree.

I don't know much more about this secret society and I'm afraid if I try too hard to learn more that it won't be cool anymore and they will stop. I like fact that they are in nature and are having to be creative and make their own fun. It's old school summer vacation. I have also learned that DB may have a future in leadership, tyrannical leadership, but leadership nonetheless. I love little boys. They are truly fascinating little creatures. 

I also love little girls, particularly my little girl. I sent Sophie off to Ms. Melanie's three day dance camp this week, and attended the culminating camp recital tonight. After their cute little mini dance routines, the recital ended with a "dance down". If you are like me and are not familiar with a dance down, basically the teacher shouts out a series of dance moves. It starts out easy, then gets increasingly more complex and fast paced. Similar to Simon Says, the last one standing wins. If you miss a move they tap you on the head and you are out....unless you are Sophie. She was hanging with the crowd pretty good but missed a move early on, and the teacher's helper gently patted her on the head indicating that she was out. Well she was determined to win the dance off and proceeded to sit for a moment, but then slowly and stealthily began to make her way back into the field of competing dancers who were still standing. First she moved a little closer in, then made her way to her knees an started doing the commands, and finally stood back up and didn't miss a beat the rest of the competition.  Not only was she not out, she was going to come back and win this thing! So it came down to Sophie and her current BFF who also happens to be Ms. Melanie's daughter. Everyone knows you can't give the trophy to your own kid, so by default Sophie was given the trophy. I was half embarrassed, but also half impressed by her persistence. The trophy said, "Outstanding Job!", but probably should have said "Cheat to Win!"

I quizzed Sophie afterwards and was sufficiently convinced that she whole- heartedly believes she earned the trophy fair and square, so I spared her the lecture. Besides it was priceless entertainment. I may have to go get a trophy for the real winner and drop it by her place this week so I don't feel so bad. Trophies are a BIG deal to four-year olds after all.