Annette was simply furious. It was bad enough that Ivan had gone and bought that horrible big black car despite her making it clear to him that she detested expressions of toxic masculinity like big, loud cars and trucks. Now here he was, teaching her baby boy to drive that thing? Aaron wasn't even 16 yet!
Aaron's newfound assertiveness and confidence also greatly upset her. He had insisted that he stayed in the uniform all day, speaking in a cold tone that brooked no argument. Annette felt she was trying to negotiate with a ruthless businessman instead of a 12-year-old boy, and for the first time in her life, she wished that she had a daughter instead of a son.
"How could you?" she asked Ivan in cold fury, after Aaron had retired to his bedroom.
Ivan pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration. "I wanted to try something to break him out of that cold demeanor of his." he tried to explain.
"And you thought fueling toxic masculinity was the answer to that?" shouted Annette.
Ivan sighed wearily. Annette's views on feminism and what constituted toxic masculinity was one thing that they never did fully see eye to eye on.
"Annette, learning to drive is not an expression of toxic masculinity. It is an essential skill everyone must develop. And it actually worked for a while. Aaron's expression changed from cold, to excited when I suggested it." explained Ivan wearily.
"I know learning to drive is not an expression of toxic masculinity, thank you very much! What is though, is joyriding that horrible thing!" snapped Annette.
Annette's accusations cut Ivan deeply. He had worked very hard to be able to afford the BMW M5, and was always cautious and responsible when he drove it.
"We didn't joyride. Aaron was careful to stay well below the 20 mph speed limit." he said quietly.
"Men!" exclaimed Annette, throwing her arms up in frustration and flopping down on the living room couch.
Ivan frowned at Annette's behavior. Not once did she ask how Aaron actually felt about the experience or express pride that he was able to pick up the basics and handle such a powerful car so well after just one session. Most kids would have been out of their depth and would have struggled to control the power of such a car on their first try. He sighed and went to the kitchen to pour himself some coke and vodka
"Explain to me why he's started to behave like some oil tycoon or business mogul!" demanded Annette as Ivan returned to the living room.
Ivan took a large sip of his drink to calm his nerves before he answered her.
"I honestly don't know. I asked him why he wore the uniform out of the shop, and all he said was that he felt more like himself in it." said Ivan.
Annette sighed wearily. "I had hoped enrolling him in St. Ignatius would help him open up, not turn him into this cold, calculating thing." she grumbled.
"Well maybe we can ask Father Abel for help." said Ivan, trying hard not to show how Annette's dismissive attitude towards Aaron hurt him.
"Please Father, you need to help us!" pleaded Annette.
Father Abel sighed as he surveyed them in his office. Annette and Ivan had come to him to tell him that the St. Ignatius Academy uniform had made a profound impact on Aaron. It had given him an air of assertiveness, and his cold and clipped demeanor had got more of a commanding edge to it.
Father Abel could also see that a crack was forming between Annette and Ivan's relationship. It appeared that Aaron's new attitude was resonating differently for both of them.
Ivan, while worried about Aaron's ability to adjust socially, did not see his new assertiveness as a bad thing and was actually proud and admired Aaron's self-control and self-discipline as evidenced by his recounting of the driving lesson.
Annette on the other hand, felt that Aaron's new assertiveness was a manifestation of toxic masculinity and that Aaron was going down the path of misogyny and sexism and blamed Ivan for encouraging such behavior.
"Mr. and Mrs. Zakhrov. Children of high intelligence such as Aaron, mature much faster mentally than their bodies can keep up with. Aaron might look like a 12-year-old, but his mental capacities are already that of an adult. The way he responded to the uniform is similar to how one would respond to say a business suit or a suit of armor. He feels powerful and confident in it." he explained carefully.
"So are you saying he'll grow out of this new attitude?" asked Annette, hopefully.
"I'm sure he'll be back to his old self once the novelty of wearing the uniform wears off." said Father Abel with much more confidence than he felt. He also, felt that bringing up natural dominance was not a good idea at the moment.
Annette sighed in relief. "I don't know what I'll do if he starts becoming some toxic male misogynist. I'm really worried about his belief that only women in high heels are elegant and sophisticated." she said, making Ivan frown in disapproval.
"That is no way to talk about your own son Mrs. Zakhrov! Do not let your ideology cloud your judgement. Despite his intelligence, Aaron is still a child. He needs guidance and love, not hostility and accusations." said Father Abel sternly.
Annette opened her mouth to argue back but then stopped and reconsidered. "I suppose you are right." she admitted grudgingly.
"On to other items, I assume you monitor Aaron's online activity?" he asked Ivan.
"Well yes. All of Aaron's personal devices have firewalls and parental controls on them. However, he may be sophisticated enough to bypass those systems." said Ivan.
"Have you noticed any unusual online activity? If so, then there could be other factors influencing his behavior." said Father Abel.
"Not to my knowledge. I regularly check with both my internet service and my phone providers and Aaron has not made any unusual web searches." said Ivan firmly.
Father Abel sighed in relief. It looked like Aaron (at least to his parent's knowledge) was not actively searching for potentially age-inappropriate content. Potential natural dominance was bad enough, he certainly didn't want Aaron to stumble across the BDSM subculture and community before he was ready.
"Alright. I'll monitor Aaron's behavior carefully once he starts school. I'm sure we'll be able to get to the bottom of this." he assured them.