Update

[wroughtn_harv]

Last year I told the story here about the little kid playing with the plastic pipe and some sticks while I was welding up some fence at the high school. Little round fella about seven years old doing some interesting stuff while his brother and their parents were fixing up the old kid's pig pen.

When we all started talking as folks will do I pointed out that the little round boy had a very creative mind. They needed to cultivate that. He just stood there prouder'n punch.

Over the years I'd be in the store or such and there would be this little kid just happier'n if he had good sense to see me.

That kid is now a senior in high school. He's the top weldor and he loves to invent and make things.

I saw him yesterday at the market. After the usual how's abouts and all that he casually mentioned that he's received scholarship offers from a bunch of colleges because of his welding skill. But he's not sure he wants to go out of state and what he really wants to be is an ag teacher.

I told him to go for the scholarships because it could if he wanted be a primer for going after the ag teacher thing.

I think it's wonderful that the kid wants to teach. I pulled the same arguments on him that Leo here at TBN has pulled on me. I just think it wouldn't hurt to be the best weldor in the world and an ag teacher too.

As I was putting the groceries into the back of the Bravada he asked about Lucy. I told him we were leaving on vacation to Arizona this morning and Miss Glenda was giving Lucy a bath.

He asked if we were taking Lucy on vacation.

I asked back that if he had the choice between taking Lucy or the Bravada what would be his choice.

"Heck", he said "I'd take that truck to the prom."

The kid is not only blessed with a creative mind. He also landed a logical one. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

One can't help but feel good about their world when they find folks like that in it.

 

[_RaT_]

It's admirable. It takes a special talent to be a great teacher. I had one or maybe two great teachers. Also had a teacher that was easily the worst. He bragged about being tenured and they could not fire him. I was 22 at the time and found that attitude mighty distasteful. This kid obviously exhibits none of that attitude.

 

[Gary_in_Indiana]

Harv,

One of my greatest joys in life now is running into young people I've coached in years past. Sadly, some are not so young anymore and have kids I've coached, too, but that's another story.

It's wonderful to hear how well they're doing now and knowing that I had some small role in their lives in their formative years. I'm sure you must've had the same feeling with this young man. Congrats! /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif

 

[jhburke]

My wife taught for 34 years in the same high school. One of her happiest pleasures is when a former student, tells her how much she appreciated her teaching. It is almost comical to watch her when some one says hello. You almost can see her mind turning like a Rubic's Cube trying to name the person. It is really hard for her because she had so many students.

 

[itsmecindi]

Harv, it's amazing how a few words of praise can translate into years self esteem. I hate using that phrase, it's been overused, but it does exist. Thanks for reminding me to say something positive to my kids today. You nice guy you. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[dmccarty]

Cindi,

I work too much. 6-7 days a week and they are long days
sometimes. 8-( But Sunday afternoon is daughter/daddy time
so we go excercise. My daughter is 3.5 years old at this point
and for the last couple of years I have been pushing her in one
of those running strollers, aka,Torture Chair On Wheels For
Daddy. This summer she has moved from the stoller to
running/walking with me or riding her bike.

This kid can run/walk a good three miles by herself. She will run
a few hundred yards. Walk some. Then start running. She
does this on her own accord because she sees daddy doing it.
I breathe loudly when I run. So does my kid. She does it
because dad does. I have looked behind me and I will catch
her spitting. Just like dad does. Kids are sponges...

Lately she has been wanting to ride her bike. The last couple
of weekends she has done over 3 miles riding her bike. She
needs some help getting up/down hills but she does it mostly
by herself. "I CAN do IT", she tell me. One weekend she
went with mom for about 1.5 miles and then in the afternoon
she did another 3+ miles with dad. She went to bed VERY early
that night!!!! Thank goodness!!

Now, the point of all this is that I praise her all the time when
she is running/walking/riding. She danged well has earned it. I
can see it in her eyes when I praise her for her effort. She just
beams. Words of praise do far more to motivate than anything
else......

Later,
Dan McCarty

 

[itsmecindi]

Oh no doubt about. I only have to think back to being a kid myself. Sometimes it's easy to get caught up in yelling and hollering when you've got three teenagers in the house all going different directions with different agendas and little personal missions....

shut the dang door...!

I thought I told you to take out the trash....!

why didn't you finish the dishes...!?

You are the fourth person who has asked me 'what's for supper' don't you people talk to each other....???!

/forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

But then like today thanks to Harv, Jill was telling me about her boyfriend saying to her that he is lucky to have her. I said, you're dang right he is. Her face lit up like a harvest moon.

"Thaaaanks moooom." /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[wroughtn_harv]

One of my favoritest sayings is "folks will rise to your expectations."

Dan, congrats on the relationship with the daughter. My youngest is twenty five.

For many years I've told the buds with daughters that the daughter would grow up believing their father was the definition of a man. If he treated her mother badly then they'd think that's just the way men do their wives. If he didn't listen to them or encourage them then they'd think that a woman's role was not of the same importance as a man's etc.

My daughter is a success on just about every level we can judge success. But probably her greatest achievement is finding a husband who has some of my qualities but few if any of my faults. As an afterthought that might be one of my greatest successes too. /forums/images/graemlins/grin.gif

 

[MossRoad]

<font color="blue"> the daughter would grow up believing their father was the definition of a man. </font>

Harv,
I have four older sisters. They all told me the same thing about the relationship between a father and a daughter. I now have two daughters. I always remember what my sisters told me and try to live a good example. It's working so far. /forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif