Rocks

I am a mom of three boys who love rocks. Every time I do laundry I have to pull at least half a dozen rocks out of pockets and I usually miss at least two or three more that go through the wash. I actually have a spot on the windowsill where I keep the rocks that I find and the pile is fairly big. My oldest son has a box under his bed filled with at least 15 pounds of rocks he has collected from around the globe this year. He has collected rocks from Petra, from Cairo, from the Red Sea, and from ancient Jerusalem, to name a few. Of course all the rocks end up in the same box, so we will never know where they came from individually. He is constantly picking up rocks to study and also likes to crack them open to see what he can find inside. He has some rocks that alone weigh several pounds that he is sure are ancient "idols" found at dig sites. He actually took one of these "idols" to Ryan's archeology professor and asked what he thought it was - the reply was... "it is a rock." And that answer is enough to make my son happy. My middle son loves to climb on rocks and he loves to throw rocks into water. This past week we went to Greece and as an adult it sounded like a wonderful trip. I had hoped to stroll through the paths around the base of the acropolis, do some shopping, and eat some good Greek food. Instead it turned out to be the best place in the world for my five year old. We spent hours watching him throw rocks into the Gulf of Corinth, into the Aegean Sea off a Greek Island, and into the mediterranean. He is practicing "skipping rocks" so in order to perfect this he requires at least half a days worth of practice.. We spent the rest of the time watching him climb on rocks near the Cape at Sounio, around the parthenon, and also near the water. When we went to see the pyramids, he didnt care to look up at them in awe - he just wanted to climb on them. He also climbed at the rocks in Jordan and climbed on the stone walls at Westminster in London. Whenever we reach some ancient or famous site, usually his first question is "can I climb?" My youngest son loves to eat rocks. He is 10 months old now and he really really loves to eat rocks. I have had to swipe rocks out of his mouth from many different parks and beaches. From the number of rocks he tried to eat, I would say that Greek rocks are his favorite. His second favorite probably has to be rocks from the Red sea area of Israel but really he doesnt seem to be too picky about them... although the smaller the better.

There are many days when I wonder what benefit this year is going to have on our boys. They do seem to have their understanding of the world broadened. Geography, History, Sociology - the way different people interact with one another - they are learning alot in that respect. But on the other hand I wonder if maybe instead of spending their future college funds on travel, if we had just spent some of it to fill the backyard with lots and lots of rocks...if their year would have been similar. I guess only time will tell. But for now, we are back home in Jerusalem, with all the rose hued Jerusalem stone for them to collect, study, break, throw, climb and eat. And I will continue to wash them - usually on cold, gentle cycle - with a nice spring scented laundry detergent.