Kids Will Surprise You

psrcello

First, a little background. My spouse and I have four kids between us, who all lived with us for a couple years after we got married - the girls at that time were 17, 16, and 15, and my outnumbered son was 11.

Son Christopher always struggled in school, felt inadequate due to his size (or lack thereof - he's short with a very slight build), totalled out his first car within weeks of his dad buying it for him, started getting into trouble with the law when he was about 15. Daughters, although we had our share of challenges with them, too, were all academically gifted, and we figured that they would pursue college degrees, and that Christopher would probably end up being a chef or a firefighter, his two dreams as a youngster and a teen.

I got a call from my son last week - he is graduating with a two-year associate's degree in business administration from community college, is now off probation, and will be getting his drivers' license back shortly. Meanwhile, what about brilliant daughters? Well, one flunked out of three colleges, one got a GED and presented us with our first grandchild when she was 16, and the oldest one never even finished high school!

Don't know what Christopher will be doing next, other than turning 21 next month. I do know, however, that I am SO proud of my baby and how he's gotten his life together the past couple of years!

Yeah, kids will surprise you - and this was a good one! x:D

Don D

[font size="1" color="#FF0000"]LAST EDITED ON 05-11-04 AT 07:58PM (CST)[/font][br][br]I never will forget the soccer mom who walked the sidelines with me and my wife fourteen years ago. My boy was in and out of first one thing, then another, nothing serious. This woman said one day in front of the whole group, "Well! My son will never do anything like that!!" I knew early on to not ever make such a stupid statement. Based on my own errant behavior all my life, I know and knew then you cannot predict a child's behavior. Once the elementary principal, a woman without children, called me about a picture my 11 year old son had taped inside his locker. It was from some sports book, a woman in a bikini. She asked, " What are we going to do about this boy?" I told her, "We're not going to do a damned thing about this boy. What he did was perfectly natural. you should not be a principal entrusted with the welfare of young children."

Congratulations to Christopher. Give him a hug from a stranger, me!

Parents who obsess about their children's rightousness and protest to the rest of us that their kids will never misbehave are in for a surprise, a LARGE surprise.

Rockie

Hey psrcello!

Good for your son! He sounds a lot like my youngest brother who, by the way, is also named Christopher. He was much younger than the rest of us in the family and was in an out of trouble. The best thing that ever happened to him was moving away from mom and dad and getting some responsibility of his own. He straightened out his act and is now a responsible human being. Still not married (he has seen his friends get married, divorced and have two or three kids to support for life). We are proud of our Christopher, too!

ray a

Yep, I've known some people who thought their kids were perfect and would never do what other kids do. Well, at least they don't do it in front of mom and dad - they learn to hide things well.

FHR

I don't have any children biologically, but I am an active participant in the raising of my SO's son. I never expected to be in a position of such concern for another human being. He is SOOOO much better behaved than I was at his age but I never assume that he is going to be perfect. Teen years are just around the corner.x:o

psrcello

Best of luck to you and your SO! All you can do is love 'em, support 'em, and guide 'em as much as possible, and pray for the best!

sonny

Congrats to Christopher (and you) I have none of my own either, but 3 quasi step sons. The one about whom I worried the most now has a house bigger and nicer than mine, a great wife and beautiful daughter. The bright, personality plus, predicted to go the furtherest one is still struggling tho making some headway. They will indeed surprise you.

Cinderella

Three cheers for your baby, Psrcello! Thanks for sharing the good news. x:-)

rad

No kids myself but I have a sister 15 years my junior and she's been through a few rough patches. She's doing great now, working, wants to go back to school, has a positive outlook on life. When she was a newborn, I'd hold her for hours and let her suck on my thumb for comfort. When I saw her in leather restraints after she OD'd, I just wished I could hold her in my arms again and try to give some comfort to her tormented world. I told her that I'd help her through a recovery but not an addiction, and so far so good, she's been clean for over a year.

Give Christopher a kiss and a pat on the back from a stranger in Boston!

Leslie

God, that's great - one can only hope the others catch on sooner or later.

I have three sons. The youngest, who works construction, turns 21 this month as we attend the graduation from law school of my 25 year old.

But it was my oldest, now 27, who was dubbed incorrigible at age 5 by his kindergarten teacher. Was he a bit of a wild man? Absolutely. But she only had to deal with him during school hours half a day - I had him for 18 years! It took me removing him from her classroom and six months haggling with the school principal to ensure that little tidbit did not get imbedded in his permanent file.

He's now in management at Ubisoft overseeing production of new video games, doing quite well (better than me I dare say) and loving life. Who says buying that Nintendo 20 years ago was a waste of money?!?!

rad

You know, as a former educator, stories like this make me want to slap some teachers. They label a kid a certain way and that sometimes ruins their future. I'm glad your boy is doing so well.