Day 19: “Waar woon je eigenlijk?” Aha, so this is how a 12-year old boy does a modern playdate.

It’s a more subtle, nuanced and carefully orchestrated dance to set up a “playdate” with a 12-year old boy.

With a 10-year old, it’s more like this:

• “Hi, I’m Luca. Do you want to see the dead cat in the bushes?”
• “Awesome! Let’s go!”

Done deal.

With 12-year old boys, it’s more like this:

• Hey.
• Hey.
• Wassup?
• Wassup?
• Not much.
• Yeah.
• Oh.
• Do you have Uncharted on the PS4?

That last line is if your boy is especially gregarious. Otherwise, cut out that last bit.

But our 12-year old has made it over the first hurdle: he now has a microphone on his PS4. Because, apparently, “play dates” and kicking the ball around in the park is way oh-so-passé.

He’s been meeting up with friends from school who play a certain game (something seemingly friendly where cars are on a soccer field and play). Well, meeting up online. Many games are multiplayer and you find each other and play the game from the comfort of your own home. No physical interaction required!

Something wasn’t quite working and he couldn’t get the microphone working. My son was trying to figure out where he could go to get the cable he needed. He asked the friend (connected by phone) where there was an electronics shop. Then he asked where the friend lived.

“Waar woon je eigenlijk?”

It’s a foray into friendship. It’s a step towards getting to know someone. It’s even crossing the great digital divide. Who knows, maybe they’ll go shopping together and buy the right cable.

But he’s making friends and that’s all I really care about.