Mexican boys...they're unforgettable....(to the tune of California Gurls)

I just love watching the boys of Mexico.  Don't get me wrong, all the children here are beautiful.  But there is something so poignant about the little boys here.  A lot of it has to do with how they dress, especially for school.  They wear little uniforms and their thick black hair is severely parted and slicked down with something to keep it perfectly in place.  I love to see them walking to and from school holding hands with their mothers or grandmothers!  And, since all of them have to hold hands with somebody, it isn't a big deal.

I met the first little guy I fell in love with in the garden of a museum in San Angel.  He was with his mom and grandparents, and looked to be around three and a half or four.
 I know that with my blond hair and American looks and clothes I was completely alien to him.  But when I began to speak to him in Spanish (well, my version  of Spanish), he loved it.  We walked around the garden and he told me the words for various objects and giggled as I tried to pronounce them.  We shook hands when we parted.  About an hour later, when I left the museum, I ran into my pal and his family again.  He was overjoyed.  We went through all of our "hellos" again...and then, when I finally said goodbye, he kissed my hand. It was an old-world gesture that he had to have learned, probably from his grandfather.

One of my first Mexican "boy" friends was a gentleman who I estimate is in his seventies or eighties.  He sells handmade table covers and little kitchen things on the street near the Mercado.  I try to buy something from him when I see him.  He always kisses my hand, too.  The last time I saw him he asked about my children.  When he heard I didn't have any, he was heartbroken.  He then gave me a gift...an artificial red rose, which I treasure.

Today on the street I saw a little boy with his mom and grandmother.  Again, he was between three and four...just an adorable age.  As soon as his mom and grandma saw me admiring him they stopped and had him say hello.  He was eating an enormous ice cream cone and I asked about the flavor and indicated that it looked pretty good to me.  So naturally he offered it to me.

Mexican boys learn how to turn on the charm very early...and they never forget how.