Neighborhood-Kids All Local. All for Kids. All the Time.

Sometimes I chuckle to myself when I reflect on the effects that aging and having children have had on things like, say, my interest in the male species. When I was younger, I used to go for polite boys. Or boys who were romantic (whatever I thought that meant). It's not really clever words or chiseled chests that do it for me anymore, though. It's the man gene.

Over a year now, I have given very little thought to the fact that I am only a mom and not an actual girl (and let's not talk about it too much lest I lapse into a deep depression). But I caught myself thinking about a previous boyfriend who used to come over and ask how my car was doing. Making any funny sounds? Changed the oil this month? He used to (and I mean this literally) pop the hood and tinker around with something or other. God only knows what he was doing in there, it's all a complete mystery to me. And even these years later, the thought of it revs my motor up a little, if you know what I mean.