Can You Hear Me Now?
Perhaps it’s just me, but I’m having some trouble communicating with my teenage son. He’s fifteen years old. He’s a great kid, is in Honors classes in high-school, plays a wicked tenor saxophone (just came home with a gold-rating in a contest) and has a wonderful sense of humor (compliments of the ol’ man). But…talking with him? Oh my! It just doesn’t seem to happen.
Here’s a recent recap of a ‘chat’ we had the other day. I was on my way home from work and (using my Bluetooth function) I called him from the car. It went like this:
Son: Hello.
Me: Hi, how are you?
Son: Good.
Me: How was school?
Son: Good.
Me: Homework? Do you have a lot, a little?
Son: Little.
Me: Have you talked to your mom lately?
Son: No.
Me: Okay. So…would you do me a favor and set the table for dinner? You know, forks, knives, napkins.
Son: Yeah.
Me: Good deal. I’ll see you in a few minutes.
Son: Okay.
Me: Bye
Son: Bye
And now: The Rest of the Story
So, I mentioned that my son is in jazz band, right? They performed in a contest last night. On the trip home from picking him up at school, he was wired. Full of ‘we-did-great’ spirit. He talked non-stop all the way home. In complete, emotional-filled sentences, he told me they earned a gold rating. His solos went well. He missed about four notes in one of the pieces, but was able to ad lib enough that no one should have noticed.
He told me about how he and three other kids pooled their money and bought pizzas. And was really upset that they ran out of drinks and had to fill their cups with water from the drinking fountain. And how a custodian gave them grief for eating their food in a non-food place. And how he firmly told the lady the reason they were eating in that area was because it was the only area with tables and chairs. The custodian didn’t protest. In fact she walked away quietly.
It was amazing. He spoke with such conviction and his monolog went on and on. I was glad it was dark in the car because I’m sure he would have wondered why I was smiling the entire way home. I could barely get a word in edge-wise. I was delighted. My son can talk.
