We went to a Babe Ruth baseball game earlier this summer. We didn’t have any kids playing, but my daughter said she wanted to go cheer on her friends who were playing, and some of my friends had sons playing, too.
Watching the game was really fun. But watching the girls watch the game was even more fun. Yes, maybe she wanted to cheer on her friends, but the main reason she was there was because “everyone else” was there, too.
I would watch “the huddle” move as a unit from one place to another, from standing to sitting, from the parking lot to the concession stand. Where one went, they all went.
One of other moms was watching this phenomenon as I was, and she commented, “Teenagers. They’re just like ants.” This woman is a high school teacher, so I figured she must know what she’s talking about, but I didn’t see the connection.
So, in my most eloquent voice, I said, “Huh?”
She began to explain. “You know, if you put a piece of candy on the ground, pretty soon it is covered with ants. You don’t have to show it to them. They just find it. If you pick up the piece of candy and move it ten feet away, the scout ants eventually find it, and all the rest of the ants soon follow.
“Teenagers are exactly the same,” she continued. “Teenage girls will huddle around something they think is really exciting, like a good-looking guy. Move the guy to another spot, and the huddle moves, too.”
I understood. She is a wise woman.
For example, let’s say one of my daughter’s friends calls and says she’ll rent some movies (“the candy”). It takes nano-seconds for this resident female teenager (“the scout”) to pass along the information. Within minutes, ten girls know about the plan, and after changing clothes and putting on makeup, they are at her house watching the movies.
But then there’s a phone call from someone saying they are going bowling (ooh, the candy just got moved!). The huddle rises, changes clothes (again), puts on group makeup (again), and moves en masse towards whatever vehicles are ready to take them to the bowling alley.
Someone at the bowling alley invites them over to swim (aah, a bigger, better piece of candy!) The huddle descends upon the most convenient house. They change clothes yet again, put on more makeup (even though it’s getting ready to be washed off), and move again as a unit to the nearest transportation.
This behavior repeats itself all day and all night, until one of the parents won’t give in to the “but everybody else is going” thing.
The ants are weary from all the candy hunting anyway, so they crash. They would sleep all the next day, except the mean old Queen wakes them up.
Before long a scout calls about the new day’s find. A trip to the beach. Guys will be there.
It’s like Godiva chocolate.
