So the last two weeks, my son Andy traveled up to New Jersey for a summer internship at Stevens Institute. Andy was studying "robotics", and his parents were studying whether or not our son could handle being away from home for a significant period of time. Mom was especially worried, as Andy had really never been away from home before and she was concerned that he wouldn't remember the little things during the day--ya know...like eating, answering an alarm clock on his own....remembering that every day you are supposed to get yourself prepared for school or going to work.
Trust me, teenagers---they don't think like you and me.
The other reason that we were happy that he would be home is that we hadn't realized what a deterrent he is to his sister getting herself in trouble. I'm going to be nice here and say.....it was a rough couple of weeks for his sister. She must have been lectured a good five times by her parents. Hopefully she'll get her act together.....and soon.
Andy was doing a project with two other guys and we were very proud to find out that his group finished in 2nd place in a competition they were having at the school to find out who could get their robot to walk up and down a flight of stairs.
Me? When I was getting ready to be a senior in high school I was worrying about things like who was going to replace Joe Montana at quarterback for Notre Dame. Obviously we have two different ways of thinking---but I could be wrong.
Anyway, by all accounts, he had a great time while he was up there...and somewhat surprisingly he managed to survive (I have no doubt that his Grandfather Hank was betting that some crazed street gang from the mean streets of New Jersey was going to storm the campus and pillage the students that were there specifically for the internship) and seemed to really do well. We went to pick him up at the airport the other night (where naturally his flight from Newark--on JetBlue--was delayed. Who woulda thunk it?) and as he got off the plane and walked toward us.....I saw something I hadn't seen before.
My son? The sorta geeky kid who went to New Jersey?
He was looking a little...just a flash in the corner of my eye mind you.......like a young man.
Later,
Jeff
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