My Sons First Teacher

Hello Honeybees,

I was having a conversation with my sons about the ACT.  My oldest son is a Junior and my youngest a Freshman in high school. My oldest asked what’s a good ACT score and my youngest went into the explanation of what is bad, average and good before I could even say anything.  I was so proud that he knew this information and that he has already set goals for his ACT. 

Our conversation turned to scholarships.  I told him that I wanted him to get as many scholarships as possible, especially since I have seen his list of schools.  That’s when he sprung this on me:

Last year Ronald Nelson, a young Memphis student was accepted into all 8 Ivy League colleges.  My son told me that as I watched Ronald’s story on TV, I was smiling and nodding my head. And you know what…He was right!!  I was so proud of that young man that I was smiling like he was my child.  I didn’t know it but that moment meant something special to my son.  He wants me to smile and nod my head for him. He wants to make me proud.

Don’t get me wrong, I support both of my boys in whatever they want to do. And they know this.  As of now my oldest wants to be an author and the youngest an astrophysicist.  Think Walter Mosely and Neil Degrasse Tyson

I said all that to say… our children watch us even when we don’t realize it. My reaction to being proud of a child that I have no connection to meant everything to a child that I will forever be connected to. What if I had a negative reaction to that story?  What if my reaction had been one of jealousy?  What if I just didn’t care at all? How would that, without me even knowing it, impact my child?  Would he still have the same list of colleges?  I’m just glad that in that moment I was a good teacher for my son.

We are our children’s FIRST teacher…………………Be careful what you teach them!

Belinda 

Beewisdom- “Children have never been very good at listening to their elders, but they have never failed to imitate them.”  James Baldwin