Boys on the Back-Burner

Today I had a visit from a former student. He comes to see me sometimes for "girl advice". His situation is filled with teen drama and is rather entertaining. Anyway he and his buddy came after school today and we had a good chat about what is going on. As it appears he is trying to get with a girl who happens to be A Collector. Yes, one of those girls! The girls who will do all they can to get the attention of every boy in their lives.. yet commit to none. Can't stand seeing the boy with someone else but won't take him herself. I explained this to my young friend and he was rather shocked by it but then claimed that perhaps he is a collector too! (male ego going strong at such a young age...) So I had to tell him that Collectors can't collect each other...

It's funny how these kinds of attitudes don't usually just stay with us when we're teenagers... it's sad how it's so easy to be a collector. To try and line up as many boys as possible on the back-burner.. where they sit and wait until we decide what we want to do with them.. It's cruel in a sense.. but at the same time... it's what girls do! There has to be a pay-off somewhere!

My little buddy also was asking me if girls really do try and line up the next guy before dumping the one on the scene. And yeah, sometimes that happens too.. Although I usually can't stand the guy.. so the sooner he is gone, the better.

But what is it about us that we need boys on the back-burner, boys lined up so that we won't be single longer than we have to be and letting boys running the show? Why does so much of our self-worth or contentment or even peace come from knowing that there is someone there...? I know I'm not the most desperate single girl in the world by any means, and I know that I am pretty good at being content in singledom (most days) but I also know that I panic if I don't have a glimmer of someone in the background. I mean the guy could live in Anchorage for all I care, but knowing that there is someone out there somewhere, holds a lot of comfort.

So maybe I really haven't perfected contentment...