Proud Papa
No, this isn't bullshit, unconditional pride. This is earned pride. I'm proud of his character. He made a hard choice and made the right one.
A couple of weeks ago the Kid (15) called my cell and asked me to take the short way home from a group ride because he needed to talk to me. I walked into the house and the Kid had a very concerned air about him. From head to toe, he was covered in angst.
Turns out he and his girlfriend had been busted by her parents while they were having sex (she's 16), and now her parents were forbidding him from coming over to her house. The immediate request was that I call her parents and let them know that the Kid really cared for their daughter.
Here I lower the veil of secrecy and keep a lot of our conversation secret, but it was a good talk. Fast forward to last night. I get home extremely late and the Kid tells me that he has found a way to see the girl. He tells me that he's planned to get up really early in the morning on Friday, like 3a.m. and go over to see her before school starts.
'Wow, her parents are okay with that?' I ask.
'They don't know,' he says. 'They won't let me visit with her,' he says.
'You realize your planned action is based on dishonesty,' I say.
'Dad, they're not going to let me see her!' he says.
'Ultimately, I'm not able to stop you, you know. You'll do what you want, but I can't help but think that being dishonest is a bad move in most situations and certainly in this one' I say.
His eyes are full of hurting.
Tonight I come home late (as in the past few nights) and he's up chatting away on the internet. I ask him who he's chatting with. The girl, he says.
'We're not going to meet up in the morning. I'm pissed off about it, but I think you're right,' he says.
Proud Papa, that's me.
On a totally unrelated (well, slightly related) note, I remember when he got his first girlfriend (at 13) and his mom's mom (mee-ma) found out. Mee-ma is an interesting character, steeped in the Church of Christ tradition and scared of her own farts. She grilled him for all the details of his girlfriend, and he related her unrelenting questioning during the ride home.
You know what that's all about, don't you, I asked.
Yeah, I think I do, he said. If I'm straight they are going to thank God, but if I'm gay they are going to blame you.
He got it. At the age of 13 he got it.
A couple of weeks ago the Kid (15) called my cell and asked me to take the short way home from a group ride because he needed to talk to me. I walked into the house and the Kid had a very concerned air about him. From head to toe, he was covered in angst.
Turns out he and his girlfriend had been busted by her parents while they were having sex (she's 16), and now her parents were forbidding him from coming over to her house. The immediate request was that I call her parents and let them know that the Kid really cared for their daughter.
Here I lower the veil of secrecy and keep a lot of our conversation secret, but it was a good talk. Fast forward to last night. I get home extremely late and the Kid tells me that he has found a way to see the girl. He tells me that he's planned to get up really early in the morning on Friday, like 3a.m. and go over to see her before school starts.
'Wow, her parents are okay with that?' I ask.
'They don't know,' he says. 'They won't let me visit with her,' he says.
'You realize your planned action is based on dishonesty,' I say.
'Dad, they're not going to let me see her!' he says.
'Ultimately, I'm not able to stop you, you know. You'll do what you want, but I can't help but think that being dishonest is a bad move in most situations and certainly in this one' I say.
His eyes are full of hurting.
Tonight I come home late (as in the past few nights) and he's up chatting away on the internet. I ask him who he's chatting with. The girl, he says.
'We're not going to meet up in the morning. I'm pissed off about it, but I think you're right,' he says.
Proud Papa, that's me.
On a totally unrelated (well, slightly related) note, I remember when he got his first girlfriend (at 13) and his mom's mom (mee-ma) found out. Mee-ma is an interesting character, steeped in the Church of Christ tradition and scared of her own farts. She grilled him for all the details of his girlfriend, and he related her unrelenting questioning during the ride home.
You know what that's all about, don't you, I asked.
Yeah, I think I do, he said. If I'm straight they are going to thank God, but if I'm gay they are going to blame you.
He got it. At the age of 13 he got it.
posted by Woodog at 11:20 PM
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