thoughts while working FAST

Since October, the biggest thing that has happened to me is the series of events – past, present, & future – that I can say the least about. I befriended someone who I met a long time ago, and we have renewed our friendship. My life has been enriched, and the future shows some optimism.

The dynamics between the parent and the adolescent is an interesting dynamic. There are stories of parents that have to limit the independence a 15 year old wants or even tries to demand. With our son, Andy, it’s different. We welcome the independence that he sometimes shows. He is an upright, conventional benevolent soul!

I’m contemptuous toward indiscriminate drug use, but Andy hates it even more. He worries about his tragic uncle who will go to prison later this month for drunk driving.  & come Dec. 15, when my brother has his trial, we all hope he pleads guilty.

Getting back to Andy, he diligently informs us every single time he stays late @ school for an after-school program. For the 2nd yr. in a row, his art teacher is Andy’s biggest backer and is glad he’s in the Art Club. We don’t worry about where he is b/c MB’s hospital, and my law firm are both leaning hard on both of us to come through during these trying times. Our jobs have demanded our leadership and experienced savvy we’ve learned for decades. Se, we didn’t have time to do Andy’s birthday party invitations and told him he better work on them. Andy’s party is Dec. 11, and this week, 1 morning when his Ma was already hard at work as a nurse, I discovered Andy had done nothing about his invitations.

Well, this was the 1st time he made birthday invitations. So, on that franatic, fast paced morning, while Ted and Bri prepared for school and left, Andy did the same, and I taught him to make a proper invitation. The 4 elements are as follows:

4 elements

It should answer the question 1. What? You’re invited to Andy’s birthday party

2. Where? Place, street address, town of party

3. When? Date, time, how long party lasts

4. A phone number of host in case invitee’s have questions. Thankfully, Andy knows where his phone is b/c he’s fielding the calls, not his parents.

Andy executed those instructions well. He made honor roll during the 1st quarter and we’re proud inspite the number of obstacles Andy has faced. He struggles w/ Typing (or whatever the hell they call it now when you learn how to use a computer keyboard in quick fashion, I think OFHS calls it “microcomputing”). But Andy struggles just like both of his parents struggled in typing. I think that’s the only C+ or B- Maribeth even earned in high school as she earned a full 4-yr. scholarship for nursing at Lewis University in Romeoville. & I got a mere C in typing my freshman year. I could only type 45 words per minute by the time the course ended in the spring but now w/ 33 yrs. of typing, computing/keyboarding, whatever the hell you wanna call it, I can type a better-than-average 60 words per minute.