By John Rocha, Sr.

We have heard, probably on more than one occasion, “Boys will be boys,” whether it is not doing their homework, showing up at the end of a school day at carpool covered in mud or dirt, or even covered with literal and figurative bruises after a verbal or physical skirmish. I propose that this phrase makes a caricature of boys rather than shedding light or detail on what goes on in a boy’s life or mind. Grown men may not speak aloud, but my thoughts are that Pinocchio, a fairy tale, can be viewed as a day in the life of a ten-year-old boy. My reflections are not based on the animated Pinocchio created by Walt Disney.  There is a distinct difference between Walt Disney’s animation, with which we are all familiar, and Carlo Collodi’s original tale of the puppet.