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Friday, January 31, 2014

Junior can thank his mom for that big brain of his

You will have to indulge me for a moment while I brag about my son.
Junior is in his final year of high school and is about to cap a perfect run of making the principal's list every term (in the good way, not like I did when I was in school.)
While his friends are taking courses like cafeteria – what ever that is – art programs and other fluffy classes, Junior is taking pre-calculus, physics, chemistry and all sorts of mean and nasty implements of education.
Even with such a heavy workload, he is still pulling down straight As.
Yes, dear reader, as you have already guessed, he takes after his mother in the brains department.
Let's just say if I was attacked by a brain-sucking alien, it would look anorexic.
My mind had a tendency to wander as a youngster, and I...hey, look a squirrel.
Junior, on the other hand can be very focussed. While his friends are indulging in a life of leisure, parties and more parties, Junior is hitting the books – hard.
Since he was 15 he has wanted to be an engineer and is gearing his secondary school education to help him make it to university.
When I was 15, I wanted to be a professional moto-cross rider. I loved riding dirtbikes – motorcycles have always been a passion of mine – but a few things stopped me achieving this dream.
First off, I could never afford a really good race bike. It is kind of hard to race when you don't have a race bike.
But probably the most important reason I never pursued a career as a professional racer was I wasn't that good of a rider.
I could rip it up, hit a few jumps and pop a few wheelies, but I lacked the natural ability required to actually become a pro racer.
I knew a couple guys who rode like they were born on a bike and it used to really annoy me that no matter how hard I tried, I could just not keep up with them.
But that did not stop my teenage mind from dreaming big dreams. Dreams that had about as much chance of success as the Senate actually doing something productive.
I never had a clear focus of what I wanted to be when I grew up and when I do figure it out, I will let you know.
Junior, however, is much more realistic in his dreams, and is much more determined to achieve those dreams.
He has the brains and intensity to become an engineer. His grades are certainly conducive to pursuing higher education.
It is a challenge for him to maintain those grades, and I am sure he would prefer to be with his friends, but his determination is not floundering.
When I was in high school, all that stupid homework got in the way of hanging out with my friends, and my part time job, and riding dirtbikes, and working on my car and...you get the idea.
I am sure you figured out by now Junior also did not get his goal-oriented hyper focus from me.
Once again, he got it from his mom who graduated as a registered nurse three years out of high school.
When I was three years out of high school, I was still wandering aimlessly through life wondering what to do next.
It wasn't until I became engaged to my beloved that I actually knuckled down and started to chase a career in the newspaper industry.
Was it a good decision? Marriage Yes. Career in newspaper...
Anyway, as I was saying, Junior has a hyper focus that will get him through the gruelling educational regiment he has set out for himself and I have no doubt he will achieve his goals.
And yes, I am a proud papa.

1 comment:

Anonymous said...

Great blog, Love being a dad.