Well I was planning to write about the outcome of my son's facial hair last night, but I had a panic attack instead. Sorry!
The mustache and beard have officially been dismissed. For now, anyway. On the drive home Sunday, my son explained that the reason he did it is because it bothered his half-sister. Then he proceeded to tell me that after he shaved it off, she didn't even notice it until he mentioned it to her. He was a bit ticked.
I told him it was kind of him to be considerate of his sister's feelings, but to next time also consider that it is his face and his beard. Isn't how he feels about it important too? Obviously it didn't bother his sister that much, and something so personal as whether or not to grow facial hair is up to the person who chooses to grow it (as long as they take care of it!). It is okay to respectfully decline to conform to what others think we should look like.
Don't get me wrong. I do think it is important for authority to be respected (this in regard to his father, not his sister). But as our kids get older, it is important for them to make some decisions for themselves. Choosing to grow facial hair is not comparable to choosing to damage ones body or mind by doing drugs or something destructive, so don't misunderstand my meaning. Our kids need to know that we accept at least some of their decisions and respect their boundaries, commiserate with their age. It's how they grow into responsible adults who won't back down next time based on principal rather than pricklies.
He's already looking forward to growing back the beard . The five o'clock shadow is inching out and he's wondering how much more it will grow before his party on Friday. He's excited about having the opportunity to use his expected birthday present from Grandma. Several kids at school commented about how much younger he looked without the beard.
It seems like it can't grow back fast enough for him. He was right - it will grow back. My hope is that it will be fuller and make him look even more manly.
Go get'em, honey!
Showing posts with label questioning authority. Show all posts
Showing posts with label questioning authority. Show all posts
Tuesday, September 23, 2008
Monday, August 25, 2008
Mathematics Mad Cow
My son has started school and is quickly settling into a routine. He's already gotten into a kerfuffle with his geometry teacher though.
He tends to have "Open Mouth - Insert Foot" disease. I think it is related to "Mad Cow", however I could be mistaken. Must be a genetic thing.
When something hits his brain it tends to come spewing out of his mouth. Now it isn't necessarily a bad thing. He doesn't mean to come across as a know-it-all or anything. He doesn't intend to offend, but sometimes his teachers don't like having their errors pointed out to them in front of the whole class.
I guess it comes from having a grandpa who is a college mathematics instructor.
The teacher gave an incorrect definition for a theorem in relation to the problem. My son happened to be absolutely certain of that particular definition and questioned the instructor, who proceeded to harrumph (according to my son) it away and ignore him. One thing about my son, when he does actually take the time to speak up, he's usually very confident of his answer. So he went a step further, looked up the definition and proceeded to read it to the instructor, who didn't take kindly to it at all.
My son was fuming when I arrived home from work. Just to make him feel better, we called my father to ensure that there hadn't been a misunderstanding. Nope - no misunderstanding. My son was right.
Just because he was right didn't make what he did completely appropriate. I told my son that he needs to learn to temper himself in those situations, to not be afraid to question those in authority (with respect), but to leave it alone if the teacher doesn't respond to the question or point. Then after class it is 100% appropriate to talk with the teacher about it one on one. Teachers are human too. They can make mistakes, and like the rest of us probably don't appreciate having it pointed out in front of the entire class.
Yes, my son was okay to ask for clarification on the issue. But he should have then left it alone until they could discuss it in private. That way he could save the teacher a bit of his dignity.
He could also demonstrate tact and something else he greatly desires - his maturity.
With great intelligence comes great responsibility.
He tends to have "Open Mouth - Insert Foot" disease. I think it is related to "Mad Cow", however I could be mistaken. Must be a genetic thing.
When something hits his brain it tends to come spewing out of his mouth. Now it isn't necessarily a bad thing. He doesn't mean to come across as a know-it-all or anything. He doesn't intend to offend, but sometimes his teachers don't like having their errors pointed out to them in front of the whole class.
I guess it comes from having a grandpa who is a college mathematics instructor.
The teacher gave an incorrect definition for a theorem in relation to the problem. My son happened to be absolutely certain of that particular definition and questioned the instructor, who proceeded to harrumph (according to my son) it away and ignore him. One thing about my son, when he does actually take the time to speak up, he's usually very confident of his answer. So he went a step further, looked up the definition and proceeded to read it to the instructor, who didn't take kindly to it at all.
My son was fuming when I arrived home from work. Just to make him feel better, we called my father to ensure that there hadn't been a misunderstanding. Nope - no misunderstanding. My son was right.
Just because he was right didn't make what he did completely appropriate. I told my son that he needs to learn to temper himself in those situations, to not be afraid to question those in authority (with respect), but to leave it alone if the teacher doesn't respond to the question or point. Then after class it is 100% appropriate to talk with the teacher about it one on one. Teachers are human too. They can make mistakes, and like the rest of us probably don't appreciate having it pointed out in front of the entire class.
Yes, my son was okay to ask for clarification on the issue. But he should have then left it alone until they could discuss it in private. That way he could save the teacher a bit of his dignity.
He could also demonstrate tact and something else he greatly desires - his maturity.
With great intelligence comes great responsibility.
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