Thursday, September 19, 2013

"I don't know what to think!"

We are reading the engaging "There's a boy in the girl's bathroom."

Here is a short excerpt:

         Colleen asked "So what should I do?" 

         "You want me to tell you whom to invite to your birthday party?" replied the counselor.

         "Lori says you're good at solving problems." 

         "Lori solves her own problems. I just help her think for herself."

         "But I don't know what to think!" Colleen exclaimed.

When a read this passage I immediately thought of a recent conversation with my wife, Misty. We talked about what we want our kids, Livia and Liam, to leave our home with. When they graduate from high school, what knowledge and skills do we want them to have? Would a high GPA and fantastic SAT scores make us proud parents? 

We discussed how we want Livia and Liam to leave with two skills: 1.) Responsibility and 2.) The ability to think, to make wise decisions. If they left with these two skills we would be very proud parents, even if they had a B average and average SAT scores. We believe that responsibility and strong thinking skills would get them far in life. 

May Livia or Liam rarely say, "I don't know what to think!"

With something to think about, this is Mr. Russell. Make it a great day or not, the choice is yours.


Image credit: scholastic.com