Boys keep them on toes
FOR the Horaks, raising two boisterous young boys is a challenging, but rewarding job that keeps them on their toes.
Anton and Paola Horak of Walmer cherish parenthood, especially the adventure that is raising Samuel, 9, and David, 5.
Paola, 40, an attorney and the chairperson of the South African Property Owners Association, said they do not just think like parents, but think like parents of boys.
She never thought of herself as a boy person and finds herself doing things she would never normally do.
"I was riding a four-wheeler the other day and I thought to myself, this is why I have kids. I have to do boy stuff; I have to play soccer, build forts. You are taken out of the ‘box’,” said Paola.
As a male, Anton, 40, said it is easier for him to relate to the boys, who are in pre-primary and Grade 4 at Theodor Hertzl.
He said they are a lot more active than girls and go through phases where they almost kill themselves doing dangerous things only boys would do.
"When they play they scream and shout, like during their light sabre fights,” laughs Anton, a stock broker at BoE Private Clients.
"But you learn to understand them. I do not know when Beauty and the Beast is on but I do know when Top Gear is on.”
Paola said the boys live in another world and she usually gets lost in their conversations about their favourite movies like Star Wars.
But she grew up with a younger brother so she knows how to live with the rougher sex.
"That is why I know how to play cricket,” smiles Paola. "There were boys next door to us so I played cops and robbers with them.”
Anton said they can see the different facets of each parent coming out in Samuel and David and he enjoys seeing their personalities come through.
Anton and Paola are true Walmerites and have both lived in the suburb all their lives.
An interesting fact is that Paola’s father was a builder and constructed the house they are living in now.
They did not know this at the time of looking at it and it was only by chance that they saw the house. "We liked the street, but it was the worst house on the street,” laughs Paola.
The couple soon fixed it up and it stayed half empty for a while as they had no furniture.
"But we grew into it with two children, three dogs and three cats,” said Paola.