Friday, July 28, 2006 - The Malakoff News - PAGE 13A
with Emily Lundy
e nl
When my husband and I were
parents, specifically of 13-, 15-,
17-, and 19-year olds (their ages
have two-year gaps for six months
of every year), we knew some-
thing of their activities. As each
child added years, we knew less
but tried to know more. We're
hearing limited experiences and
incidents now andrealize we were
trusting souls and really lucky.
Now it's grandchildren who keep
activities going. It seems I know
about some of their acfivites bet-
ter than I didmy own kids because
teens are around and talk. What is
so different now is the nights.
A grandson who lives twenty-
five miles north of us, depending
on which road is traveled, likes
to visit. "I want to come see you
and spend the night," he'll say,
now at six years of age. Other
times, it's, "I want to come play
at your house, but I'm not spend-
ing the night." We never believe
him and will somehow get him.
No younger grandchild really
wants to come unless other cous-
ins are here. Two is about right.
Three means hollering, crying,
tattling, and other sounds I've
tried to forget.
Many times around 10:30 or
11:00 at night, this same little boy
will demand to go home "to see
Mama." We try allkinds of per-
suasion, neither of us wanting to
leave the house for the darkened
path in any way. A call to Mama
work sometime, depending on
the intensity of the homesickness.
At our home site, Papaw gets
gruffy, tells the child he's already
been asleep and he can take him
home early in the morning. This
may satisfy.
Or I'U tell the child we two will
stay up late, late, and watch one
of his Ga(field movies or what-
ever. Then I try to fall asleep on
the couch which never tricks the
maturing boy. More than likely
though, Papaw ends up meeting
our daughter in Eustace, the half-
way mark for our homes. Be-
fore the child's family moved two
years ago, halfway was a ser-
vice station up Highway 274.
Last week I told this grandson
I wanted him to visit for Vaca-
tion Bible School. He agreed, and
was on his way for the third night.
Then he said, "I am going to stay
here until school starts. I'll call
Mama to bring my tv and tapes
and more clothes." Of course I
called his mom to brag too soon.
And everything changed.
That evening found us taking
this young one home with his older
siblings begging him to reama to our
home as stay-over parties were
planned. The baby of this family
wasn't leaving now, wanted or not.
Teens on my street related
closely to me can slip in my side
door and out without our know-
ing it. They like to raid the refrig-
erator, check messages on the
computer, watch television, play
some type of television game if
someone else has left one. Pa-
paw and I buy only outdoor
games and rigs for play, trying to
get the children away from the
television sets since they refuse
to read one of my good books.
With all adults sleeping possi-
bly, the 16 year old comes in at
late hours if the 18 year old living
with us has not come in. That
means the door can be unlocked.
However if he knows we're still
awake in our bed watching the
news, he tells us bye.
His 13-year old sister gets
called home so an adult can
watch her as she makes her way
safely to her house under super-
vision. Often she spends the
night. As mentioned before, we
have four couches and a wrap-
around seating arrangement
which I said I'd not ever buy.
Never again will it be like this.
The 18 year old leaves soon for
college; I won't have to monitor
her room from little people while
she works. Her sister and brother
won't be here as often as they
return to another home and
school, activities will occupy the
neighboring kids. Next summer
could bring anything, maybe a
new swing as the old one has held
too many courting couples or talk-
ing friends.
The phone just rang. The 12-
year-old from Payne Springs is
visiting for two days. He must
know the granddaughter is near
and her best friend are in the
neighborhood. Ever so often, one
of us, Pa or I, can still throw a
rather alarming "fit."
And don't worry. We have
roles. We run a tight ship. Just
ask our grown children.
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by Jeff Davis
I watched a documentary of this deep interest a person
about Andrew Wyeth, more par- studies the project, considers dif-
ticularly about what it was like ferent approaches and considers
growing up as the son of the fa- alternatives for ideas that don't
mous painter, work. He gets the right tools and
The boy had made a chair out materials and knows how to use
of wood and gave it to his dad them. He gets enough material
for his birthday. Wyeth looked at so he won't mn out of something
it and told his son that he hadn't in the middle of the job.
done a very good job. Wyeth's I don't claim that I always do
young son took the chair and left a good job. Sometimes I'm not
in tears, very interested in the project I'm
But when he got back to his undertaking, like cleaning out a
room, the boy looked at the chair cat box. Sometimes I don't know
carefully and saw that his dad enough to do the project but damn
was right; the chair wasn't made the torpedoes, go ahead and do
very well. So he made another a bad job on the project. Then I
chair and this time he took care go back, study what's involved
with what he was doing. When in the project and do it like I shotfld
he was finished it was clear that have done it in the first place.
this new chair was a good job I must say that the invasion of
and he proudly gave it to his fa- Iraq seems to be an example of
ther who accepted it. a job done quite badly and I won-
After the first test in a Calcu- der why. I would have thought
lus I class a young Viet Nam Vet that one would go to great effort
came to my office in a very agi- to do a good job invading another
tated state. He claimed that all country; plan a lot, have altema-
of his answers were correct but tive plans in place, understand the
I had given him a C. I suggested problem so that you'll know
that we look over his test paper, when you've solved it. That's the
We looked at the first problem, way I go about solving a prob-
"Where's the problem you're lem in mathematics, I would ex-
trying to solve?" pect no less from someone tak-
He said that he didn't think he ing their country into war.
was supposed to write down the I suppose that a completed
problem, project is seen as a "good job" or
"Where are your computa- not depending on how what goal
tions?" - the viewer had in mind. Maybe
He pointed at some scribbled in some eyes, Iraq is an example
numbers at various places on the of a job being done well; maybe
paper, it's turning out just the way the
"Where's the answer?" planners had hoped.
He pointed to a number with a Thus Spake the Old Fogy, sadly
circle around it. hoping that the Iraq job is a C-
"And you think it's my job to and not an A+.
job?
figure out how your computations
give this circled number? How
can I tell ifit's the right number if
I don't know what the problem
is? If your boss asks for an an-
swer and you give her a circled
number how will she know it's
the right number if you don't give
her the problem that the number
is supposed to solve? If you don't
give her computations that are
easy to follow and show where
the circled number came from,
you are making her work the
problem. If you give your boss
an undocumented answer, what
good is it?"
He had no answer.
"Does your paper look like an
A paper to you?"
He grabbed up his paper and
stormed out of my office.
After the second test he
walked up to the desk and threw
his test paper down on it.
"You were right", he said and
stomped off.
I had taught him the difference
between a good job and a C.
There are two kinds of C, one,
the real C, where the student
works 75% of the test perfectly
and leaves the rest blank; two,
the partial credit C, where no
problem is worked correctly but
the student gets 75 points from
partial credit.
The real C student does a good
job on what she knows and
doesn't make me wade through
schmooze trying to glean a few
points. I'd hire the real C student.
I suppose that a deep interest
in a project is the driving force
behind a good job. And because
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