A Tale of Two Kiddies
“It was the best of times. it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair…” Dicken’s opening line in A Tale of Two Cities.
Even though I found that story quite long and a bit boring when I was forced to read it in 8th grade English, I always loved the beginning. It touched my inner sense of symmetry while powerfully expressing the universe’s penchance for irony.
Raising children also follows this dichotomy and can feel like a ride on a perpetually fickle pendulum. A sad child easily pushes a parent into despair. A joyful child swings us with hope for a brighter future. So for us, like most parents, it’s always a “tale of two kiddies.“
Our 11 year old daughter Hannah is a wonderful soul. She has grown so much this past year in part due to her discovery of cheerleading. She has found a group where she excels by working surprisingly hard at something she loves. The program at Boca Extreme Cheer Company is exceptionally supportive and she is surrounded by focused young girls who share her passion. We still have our unavoidable struggles and sometimes raise our voices in frustration, but how sweet would success be if not for the toil. At least that what we tell ourselves many times when we close our exhausted eyes at the end of the night.
So too has it been with our 13 year old son Jack. A unique being from the start, we know he has much to add to this world, but we’ve worked hard with him to find the spark to set his mind free. This year we are trying something very new. He is enrolled in an innovative program in Delray calledspace of mind.It is a socialized home schooling environment run by a remarkable woman named Ali Kaufman. In the three years since she founded SOM, Ali has assembled a great team of teachers and coaches to create individual programs for every child. For Jack, they will strive to create a curriculum that will draw upon his interests and strengths. For history, he may research the emergence of electronic dance music or video game theory. The day begins with Yoga. It’s definitely a new age program, but I think I have a new age kid.
Thank you all for your support and encouragement over the years. Stay tuned as our story unfolds.
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Make It a Good Story 