My youngest turns 16 this weekend. I’ve been writing more about my kids here lately and maybe that’s because they’re getting older and I’m growing less young. My to-be 16-year-old has always been a bookworm and even when we declared “lights out” on any given evening, we found surprises…
My work has taken us to three different states thus far and my wife and I remember one event in another state vividly. Our boys were newly enrolled as a 2nd grader and a 4th grader. Sometime soon thereafter I was requesting a teacher conference for my youngest. He had apparently run afoul of teacher policy by ditching recess and getting chummy with the librarian instead so he could check out some books. Apparently, this was a no no and his teacher at the time dressed him down for running rogue. By the time I caught wind of the gist of the story it was too late to slow me down. During my parent-teacher conference, I point-blank said, “my Alex violated your rules because he wanted to read too much, correct?” Obviously, I did not engage this teacher’s cooperation but the principal knew I was coming and perfectly timed her intercept about 7 minutes into the exchange.
I share all this because we were living in the state rated number 1 for public education at the time and I was working for the largest school system in the state (the 17th largest in the US). My boys had a good enough grade 2 and grade 4 experience in year 1 but we moved them in year 2 to a different school and the difference was night and day. My message here is leadership matters and strong principals assemble the best teachers. This absolute tends to be universal so you don’t need to move to benefit from this truth.
Even our puppy talks back to us these days. What’s up with that?! And apparently we should be promoting back talk according to this MIT study. My 16-year-old to be exercised this argument flawlessly today when he shared with me he would “save his breath because any elaboration …ends in metaphorical plugging of ears and using authority to prove our supremacy.” Parents know there was a lot more to the response and I’ve taken editorial privilege, but in general, it still highlights the schism that lives on between the old and young. I like my kids so that affords them some liberty when they run their mouths – some liberty. And then I fall back on a pic like this one below that my superintendent at the time took of me and mister metaphorical at a community gathering…
I’m not sure if sweet sixteen still applies to kids these days – seems to be more drama than I remember. But pretty much everyone that knows me well will attest my memory is selective. Happy Birthday Alex – even if you’re restricted from most devices that would allow you to even read this blog. Our DNA is too much alike so I likely have already channeled the mental message as we speak.…
What if? Why Not? 