I think this is Gris's first actual year. He was, I think, student teaching last year.

I'm sort of fearful that he's going to be kind of wild as a teen, though. There will definitely be some clashing of wills.

Ship 'em to Auntie Erin. He may come back with a tat, but I'll ship him to my caver friends with kids and he'll learn a valuable lesson in PAY ATTENTION -- there's a reason!

Hee. We could make a hella killing, shipping 'Ffista kids off to various 'Ffistas for a week in summer. Book camp, caver camp, robot camp, sex ed camp, math camp, music camp. What else? Rock climbing, research, SNARK, computers, marketing, guerilla law.

And it'd be good for Single Buffistas too. Do they really want kids or just cute Christmas card pictures? And, you know, it takes Buffista Island to raise a child. Minor peeve: The book group that I wrote back to, thanks to Robin, has now left it to me to select an accessible meeting place for some future date. Which is smart of them, but spot-putting to me, and I sort of suck at that game, considering my lifelong gimpiness.

Erin, what is a caver friend?

Laura, I've got nothing. I'm just reading and trying to retain, because learning-style-wise, my three children are so different, it's a little surprising they've even met, forget about being related and raised together.

what is a caver friend?

I would imagine a friend who caves. t not sarcastic

Did my lack of innuendo give me away?

With your tag? Doubt that's it.

Weclome!

Brendon was classified by his gifted team last year as exceptional and unmotivated. He understands everything. He tops every test that comes his way. He doesn't study. He hears it or reads it once and he gets it. He absolutely does not care about anything.

This was me in school (still is in some ways) with a good amount of stubborn mixed in.

Oh yeah, totally me too.

Yep, SA is right. I have a friend who is Heap Big Caver Dude (DON'T call 'em spelunkers! That's for amateurs.) He does all these amazing grueling cave expiditions, down and dirty, days in caves. Nothing I can do, but he is fabulous at it.

This was me in school (still is in some ways) with a good amount of stubborn mixed in.

I don't have any solution for the lack of motivation. I can make him do the damn work, but I can't make him care. Frustrating, but I don't know any way that my mother could have made me care about HS. I can expose him to a variety of life experiences and I can force him to attend school and do the assignments. I don't know how to force another human to give a damn. And I hope for him to find some inspiration somewhere sometime.

I know what you are saying Cindy. My kids are totally different. My 3 sibs and I are totally different. Don't know why it happens that way. Keeps parents on their toes. You think you have something figured out and then the other kid blows the theory to hell.