Rock, Paper, Scissors

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rock_paper_scissors

I was sitting in a cafe today trying to get some work done.

When this lady -- maybe a mother, but perhaps a grandmother (in LA it's hard to tell because women have children later here) was sitting with a very small child.

They were discussing the finer points of Rochambeau.

First she reminded him of what tools were available to him, rock, paper, and scissors. And then she told him to choose one.

He told her what he chose.

She said that wasn't how it worked.

They counted to three and tried again, this time he waited for her to show what she chose and then picked the tool that beat her.

Again, not how it works.

They played a few rounds, or not -- I started to refocus on the task at hand.

It made me think about the time when I didn't know the rules -- when I would tell what I was going to choose, or wait for an advantage.

My mother is a kindergarten teacher. She is really society's first line of defense. She teaches the kids that how to get along in society. Be quiet. Sit still. Don't eat the paste.

Before she gets to them, they are all individuals. Without the touch of a central authority figure.

Sure they have their family and their parents. And some go to church. But my mother introduces them to standardized testing, and lunch lines, and coloring between the lines.

She lays the groundwork. Without her we would drive on every side of the road, and steal, and not raise our hands in class.

This kid seemed pretty sharp. Maybe we'll see him at the Rock, Paper, Scissors World Championships.