Welcome to Monday's after school activities.

Shouts are coming from in front of the TV.

Cormac: 'KILL HIM!! Kill him! Kill him! Die dummy, die!'

Kai: 'No! I died! Avenge me! Hey! He's stealing my stuff, kill him!'

Cormac: 'What are you doing newb, you can't kill him with a stone ax! You need a diamond sword!'

But strangest of all...

Kai: 'Don't kill the chickens, I have to make 20 of them my friends...'

Just another game of Minecraft...

................................................

Honestly, the words coming from upstairs, that Aidric doesn't think I can hear are worse.  Aidric plays an on-line, multi-player game, among many others, called 'Escape from Tarkov'. The rallying cries to encourage his teammates to further violence and pillaging are a bit chilling and sometimes I swear he's swearing in Russian.

Today I'm in his room making sure his laundry has been actually put away (not stuffed under something where I won't see it and believe he's done as I asked). It has. 

'Hey mom, come here.' He asks me to sit in his very comfy 'gaming chair'.  I do and he slips his headphones over my ears, 'I want you to meet my friend 'Atwood' ' (Not his real name, changed to protect his other 'not real name')

'Atwood, say Hi to my mom.'

''Hello?' I say into a slightly stunned silence.

'Hello ma'am.?' A deep young voice, I'd place him in the 18-20 year range.

'Hi, how's it going.'

'Great thank you...       

Thanks for letting your son play with us. He's a great asset on our team. You should know, he is a very polite and well-mannered kid, you should be very proud of him'

'O  K, thanks. Not something you'd expect to hear or think was important during a bloody shooting game...'

'No, but he is.  You should hear some of the other mouth breathers on here. No one ever bothered to teach them about manners and decency.'

'You'd think that sort of behavior would put you at a disadvantage... manners and decency I mean.'

'No, people notice and want to play with him. They know he's got their backs.'

'Good to hear, thank you...'

One of the strangest conversations I've ever had with a teenager.

................................................

Carrington shouts 'Mimi, watch this!'

'RUM ROLL PLEASE!!'

Rhythmic slapping on the coffee table. Then suddenly, Squirtle the stuffed turtle goes flying into the air with here-to-fore unknown grace and agility. Flipping and cartwheeling through empty air for all he's worth, then landing softly and incredibly feet down on a couch pillow a few feet away!

THE   CROWD    GOES    WILD!

...  'I think you mean DRUM roll'