What to do...?
Well, my days off from work have been screwed up for the last few of weeks. Add to that, my lengthened recovery time from having surgery last month, and I'm like WAY BEHIND ON STUFF, DUDE!!! I've got TOO many things to do around the house, and so little time to do it in! The only reason I'm even on the silly computer right now, is because there's NO WAY that I'm leaving this range on self cleaning mode with nobody in the house to watch out for it! I know how it works - understand the principles - but, I still don't trust it! LOL!!
The good news, of course, is that I'm reaching another little milestone in my life. Yeppers...my son is graduating high school this spring, and then it looks like he's headed into the Navy! WOW! I think back to when I had to make these kinds of decisions in my life - without a father - and I can clearly see where Steve is really going to make something out of his life. At this point, his options are endless, and his future is sooooo close to being steady and secure! That's about a thousand miles away from where I was in my life at his age! I was pulling in odd jobs, where HE'S actually got a regular paying STEADY work schedule, that pays benefits! I was more-or-less forced to go right into the local workforce economy right after my graduation summer! (HEY! I had to enjoy something, right?)
What's really strange though, is how Steve and I both struggled our Senior year. I needed to pass one class that I was totally failing in to graduate; Steve's failing, and needs to pass two! Of course, PART of this I attribute to how (or where) he spent the first part of the second semester. You know how boys are sometimes; he turned 18, and figured he could do anything he wanted to. He thought he was 10ft tall and bulletproof, and didn't need anyone telling him his business, or didn't have to live by anyone's rules but his own. Well, his attitude crashed head-on with my wife's aptitude, and the person who kept me from kicking my own son out of the house at Thanksgiving was giving in to the feeling that this was her home, and she wasn't supposed to be responsible for someone else's disrespectful child, anyway! Steve had to GO!
You just don't yell at my wife...I don't care if it's in person or over the phone! Not only is it rude, but NOT a good career move! LOL!! I feel sorry for anyone who tries to car-jack her...she'll do some serious damage, and not remember where she left the grease spot! LOL!!
We fully expected that he'd go up to Jacksonville, and stay with his mother while finishing out his high school education there. Well, Steve had other ideas, and moved in with his friend and his family on a temporary basis....or, I'm sure they thought. It turned out to be a three month stay!
Well, after a few months of things not going as well as expected, no car...no cellular phone...no room of his own...no BED of his own...and, with his grades taking a major landslide(and possibly some prodding from his friend's parents, too!), Steve finally worked up enough courage (or desire) to start talking about coming back to the house, and everyone has kissed and made up on Easter Break at Cocoa Beach. LOL!!
Now, my OTHER reason of happiness, is my daughter, Shannon. She moved down here from her mother's over the summer, thinking she'd be able to spend some time getting back in tough with her big brother before he graduated and shipped out for the Navy. The two had not lived together for four years, so they needed to get re-acquainted. Problem was, Steve was used to being the only child and center of attention, and Shannon was wanting to hang around all the time...not cool to have l'il sister hanging around, I guess; ruins a guys game! LOL!!
When Shannon moved in, she brought with her some pretty good grades, and she tested into the advanced 8th grade classes. Well, she didn't really understand how advanced these classes were, and after a couple of months, her A's and B's dropped down to D's and F's! After trying to work with her, even through the first quarter of the second semester, I realized that THIS was just NOT going to work! I went into the school and got the guidance counselor to change all her classes back to the REGULAR classes. If this hadn't been done, there was NO WAY this child was going to be advanced to 9th grade....it was THAT bad!
This week, after being on restriction since the end of LAST year because of her grades, Shannon is bringing home 100's and A's and B's again...and the child's whole attitude is 100% better than it was!
More as it happens...LATERNESS!
The good news, of course, is that I'm reaching another little milestone in my life. Yeppers...my son is graduating high school this spring, and then it looks like he's headed into the Navy! WOW! I think back to when I had to make these kinds of decisions in my life - without a father - and I can clearly see where Steve is really going to make something out of his life. At this point, his options are endless, and his future is sooooo close to being steady and secure! That's about a thousand miles away from where I was in my life at his age! I was pulling in odd jobs, where HE'S actually got a regular paying STEADY work schedule, that pays benefits! I was more-or-less forced to go right into the local workforce economy right after my graduation summer! (HEY! I had to enjoy something, right?)
What's really strange though, is how Steve and I both struggled our Senior year. I needed to pass one class that I was totally failing in to graduate; Steve's failing, and needs to pass two! Of course, PART of this I attribute to how (or where) he spent the first part of the second semester. You know how boys are sometimes; he turned 18, and figured he could do anything he wanted to. He thought he was 10ft tall and bulletproof, and didn't need anyone telling him his business, or didn't have to live by anyone's rules but his own. Well, his attitude crashed head-on with my wife's aptitude, and the person who kept me from kicking my own son out of the house at Thanksgiving was giving in to the feeling that this was her home, and she wasn't supposed to be responsible for someone else's disrespectful child, anyway! Steve had to GO!
You just don't yell at my wife...I don't care if it's in person or over the phone! Not only is it rude, but NOT a good career move! LOL!! I feel sorry for anyone who tries to car-jack her...she'll do some serious damage, and not remember where she left the grease spot! LOL!!
We fully expected that he'd go up to Jacksonville, and stay with his mother while finishing out his high school education there. Well, Steve had other ideas, and moved in with his friend and his family on a temporary basis....or, I'm sure they thought. It turned out to be a three month stay!
Well, after a few months of things not going as well as expected, no car...no cellular phone...no room of his own...no BED of his own...and, with his grades taking a major landslide(and possibly some prodding from his friend's parents, too!), Steve finally worked up enough courage (or desire) to start talking about coming back to the house, and everyone has kissed and made up on Easter Break at Cocoa Beach. LOL!!
Now, my OTHER reason of happiness, is my daughter, Shannon. She moved down here from her mother's over the summer, thinking she'd be able to spend some time getting back in tough with her big brother before he graduated and shipped out for the Navy. The two had not lived together for four years, so they needed to get re-acquainted. Problem was, Steve was used to being the only child and center of attention, and Shannon was wanting to hang around all the time...not cool to have l'il sister hanging around, I guess; ruins a guys game! LOL!!
When Shannon moved in, she brought with her some pretty good grades, and she tested into the advanced 8th grade classes. Well, she didn't really understand how advanced these classes were, and after a couple of months, her A's and B's dropped down to D's and F's! After trying to work with her, even through the first quarter of the second semester, I realized that THIS was just NOT going to work! I went into the school and got the guidance counselor to change all her classes back to the REGULAR classes. If this hadn't been done, there was NO WAY this child was going to be advanced to 9th grade....it was THAT bad!
This week, after being on restriction since the end of LAST year because of her grades, Shannon is bringing home 100's and A's and B's again...and the child's whole attitude is 100% better than it was!
More as it happens...LATERNESS!