Graduated

I have graduated my second child Erik and he has advanced to the school of life. We will help him pursue his various endeavors as best we can but are now pushing him a bit to get his license, get a job, learn additional skills and in the mean time be employed by his parentals around the house during the day. I am amazed by how similar sons are to their fathers. Charley took a year off of school to 'figure it out' after High School and it looks like much the same is going on here. There will be an eight hour work day expected till such a time as he gets a job else where. Who knows, maybe he can jump start the 'family business' enough he won't get a job away from home but I will be pushing him that way and treating work at home as just that - work. Right now I have sicked him on removing the rest of the wallpaper paste from the walls in the kitchen and his first job will be redoing the kitchen walls and preparing them for painting. I am hoping by the summer to have the counter replaced but am considering a cement counter so it will have to wait till it is warmer. I suppose we will call him our personal contractor. We shall see how long it takes till he gets his job applications filled out. We have beat the academics for long enough. He loves to learn on his own but as with the school of life he will have to work on that in his off hours. I think everyone will be happier this way. I guess we should put him on the same sort of vacation schedule as his dad. I'll have to consult the dad as to how that works.

The boy has worked hard with many adversities and done well, but the time is right to work on the next stage of life. I am proud of him all around and will continue to be. College is not an option right now but it doesn't mean it won't be in the future. There will be a graduation party some time in the not too distant future. The biggest party will be seeing him learn and grow in his future.