Boys Will Be Boys: The Umbrella That Was Never Going to Be Used as an Umbrella

What's going on

A woman driving through a downpour spotted a grade-schooler walking home completely drenched, no umbrella up. She assumed he must have forgotten it — until she looked closer and saw he was clutching one. Not struggling with it, not broken. Just held triumphantly overhead while he screamed at the sky.

She posted about it with a single caption: "This is… a boy child… (trembling)." What followed was a nationwide confession booth, with parents of all stripes sharing their own rain-soaked horror stories — and a growing number of commenters insisting that girls, too, are fully capable of this behavior.

Comments

ok so. I was driving in a downpour and saw a boy walking home from school, soaking wet, no umbrella. Poor thing, probably forgot it, I thought. Then I looked closer — he had one. In his hand. Raised high above his head. While screaming. This is… a boy child… (trembling)

ねぇちょっとびっくりなんだけど。さっき運転してたら土砂降りの中で学校帰りの男の子が傘もささずずぶ濡れで歩いてたのね。可哀想に、傘忘れたのかな？と思ってよく見たら、手にしっかりと傘を持ってたの。そんでその傘を高くかかげてうおおおって叫んでたの‥ これが‥‥男児‥‥（震え）

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Terrifying… this is what a boy child is… but honestly? If it was my own son doing that, I’d probably just go “there he is!!” and laugh 🤣

怖い…これが男児…でもさ、実際に息子がやってたら、出たー！って喜んじゃいそう🤣

Right lol, it’s more like YES, CLASSIC BOY ENERGY ✨ (the laundry aftermath is a different story though 😂)

確かにwwむしろ、ざ！男子！オオオ〜ってなるよね✨（その後の後処理は恐ろしいけど‥😂）

lmaooo 🤣🤣 There are many kinds of legends out there… (staring into the distance)

わろた🤣🤣色んなパイセンいるわぁ〜(遠い目)

I’m going to start mentally preparing myself for all of this 🙂‍↕️😇

私も今から色々覚悟しておこうと思った🙂‍↕️😇

Weirdly… I get it. Thrusting your umbrella toward the heavens and screaming like a warrior. Peak male behavior (lol)

なぜだろう、男子の気持ちわかる。天を（傘で）貫いて雄々しく叫ぶ！紛れもなく男だ（ぇ！

And if they find a spot where the rain gutter is overflowing and water’s just gushing down, they’ll stand right under it like they’re doing waterfall meditation training. That’s boys!

これで雨樋から溢れてる水がバシャバシャ落ちてきている場所をみつけたら滝行するんだぜ！男子は！

I know exactly what you mean… you see a boy like that and think: IF NOT NOW, THEN WHEN ARE YOU GOING TO USE IT!!!!

わかります…おま、今差さずいつ差すねん！！！って男の子見かけますね…

Former boy here. I understand completely.

元男児です。とてもよくわかります。

As a former boy, I can confirm: that’s just what boys are.

元男児なのでわかるんですが、それが男児です。

lol I couldn’t help grinning w so cute

ちなwwニヤニヤしちゃったw可愛い

They still exist in the Reiwa era (Japan’s current imperial era, which began in 2019) ｡ﾟ(ﾟ＾ω＾ﾟ)ﾟ｡

令和にも居るんだ｡ﾟ(ﾟ＾ω＾ﾟ)ﾟ｡

And flipping it upside down to collect rainwater and then splashing it everywhere is part of the same combo move

なんならおちょこにして水溜めてびしゃーまでワンセット

And then jumping into the nearest puddle. The full arc 🐸

そして水たまりに飛び込む絶望🐸

[Standard operations at our house]

【我が家の通常営業】

Sorry for sliding in from the recommendation feed! My son came home in exactly that state today 😆

おすすめからスミマセン！うちの息子は今日まさにその状態で帰宅しました😆

It’s training to become a great man. That’s what my son told me when he was in kindergarten.

いい男になるための修行なのだ。うちの男児が幼稚園の時に言っていたよ。

Oh yeah, a classic (staring into the distance…). My son came home drenched today saying he “experimented with whether rain would fall into your eyes like eye drops if you walked looking up”…

あるあるだねぇ（遠い目…）息子氏は今日、上向いて歩いたら目に雨が入るか（目薬みたいに）実験してきた！とか言ってびしょびしょになって帰ってきましたよ…。

My son once ran home in sudden rain, burst through the door absolutely soaked, and announced: “I dodged every single raindrop, so I’m totally dry!”

我が家の息子、下校時急に雨降り出して帰ってきた時｢雨急に降ってきたけど避けながら走って来たら全然ぬれなかった！｣ってびしょ濡れで帰ってきた時あります。

My boy did the same — came home soaked, and when I asked what happened, he said with a big smile: “I wanted to experiment and see what would happen if I didn’t use my umbrella!” I nearly fainted. In THAT downpour.

うちの男子も、大雨の日に傘を差さないで帰ってきたことがあります。びしょ濡れなので、どうしたの!?と聞くと、「雨の日に傘差さなかったらどうなるか実験したかった！」と笑顔で言われたことがあります。「こんな大雨の日に. . .？」と気が遠くなりました。

My kid is 3 and already doing this 😇😇

3歳のうちの子もすでにこれ😇😇

SO BOY!! Mine came home soaked once, umbrella flipped upside down, yelling “LOOK AT THIS!! I COLLECTED SO MUCH RAIN!!” 😂

ザ・男子！！うちも、わりと雨降ってる日に、傘わざとひっくり返して差しながら「見てみてー！！めっちゃ雨集まったー！！」ってずぶ濡れで帰ってきたことあります😂

I’ve seen this exact scene a few times myself and just thought “ahhh, boys www.” It really is a recurring tradition. Collecting rainwater in an upside-down umbrella and dumping it on each other, standing under the rain gutter like it’s a waterfall ritual… honestly, still kinda cute 🥹

私も見て「お〜男児ぃ〜www」と思った事が数度ありますわ。数度あるくらいに男児の恒例行事。傘を開いて逆さまに持って雨水ためて友達と浴びせあったり、雨樋で滝行みたいなことをしてるのも見たので…まだ可愛らしい🥹

Oh yes, that’s my 3rd grader. He came home drenched, I asked why he hadn’t used his umbrella, and he said: “Because it feels good.”

あ、はいうちの小3です。ずぶ濡れで帰ってきたので、なぜ傘を差さないのか聞いたら「気持ち良いから」と言われました

Not just boys — my daughter did this too 😇

男児だけじゃないよ、うちの女児もこれやりました😇

Today my son (elementary schooler) walked home in the rain with his umbrella in his hand, saying it “felt amazing.” For the record: his mom did the same thing in middle school and got yelled at by grandma. Conclusion: girls who are going to do it, will do it.

今日、息子は（小学生男児）雨に降られて気持ちよかったと傘を手に持って歩いて帰ってきた。お母ちゃんは中学生でもそれやって、ばあちゃんに怒られてました。つまり女子でもやるやつはやるのです

I literally witnessed the same scene today on my walk, and my preschooler immediately started folding up her umbrella to copy him. I had to work hard to keep her dry… She’s a girl, by the way…

まさに今日歩いていたら同じような光景を目にして、うちの幼稚園児も真似して傘をたたみ出したので濡れないようにするのが大変だった…女児です…。

A while back they sent everyone home early because of a thunderstorm forecast. I went to pick up my kid and spotted a boy doing exactly this — but there was also a girl in the lower grades doing basically the same thing w

少し前に雷雨の予報が出たから給食で切り上げて一斉下校の日に子供を迎えに行ったら同じような男児居た。でも低学年の女児も似た感じの子が居たw

Speaking as a former girl from 30 years ago — I did this too. Held my umbrella up high going “I AM!! A LIGHTNING ROD!!” (please do not do this). Getting soaked and then the hot shower after was so satisfying that I started just… getting wet on purpose. Grandma yelled at me until I stopped.

30年前の女児のワイもやっていた…傘を高く上げて私が！！避雷針！！とかやってた（まじでやめろ）びしょ濡れからのシャワーがくそ気持ちよくてそのうちそんな事関係なくわざと濡れるようになってばーちゃんにバカほど怒られてやめた

I was a girl and I absolutely walked home with my umbrella flipped upside down collecting rain 🥹 The school uniform sticking to my skin felt gross, so I changed into my gym clothes first. Also I went barefoot. 🥹

女児でしたけど、引用にある傘ひっくり返して雨貯めながら帰ってました🥹制服だったのでそれが張り付くのは気持ち悪くて嫌だから、わざわざ体操服になって帰ってました🥹あとついでに裸足で帰ってた🥹

Sorry to jump in 🙇 My younger one (3rd grade) has been walking home without their umbrella lately even when it’s raining. Uses it in the morning, but not on the way back… And apparently their whole friend group does the same thing. Oh, and — they’re all girls 😅

引用失礼します🙇我が家の下の子（小学3年生）最近は雨でも傘をささずに帰って来ます。登校時はさすんですが‥一緒に帰るお友達数名も同じだとか。ちなみに‥全員が「女子」です😅

My take

Rain is just not that extraordinary an event to adults — but to kids, it's a full sensory spectacle dropping from the sky. Of course they want to be in it.

#Funny #Parenting #Culture

Source & translation note

Comments loosely translated for tone. Reactions collected from Togetter and X threads.

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