It has been an amazing time spending it with my 11-year-old godson. He is really a good kid and his parents have done a fantastic job with him so far in teaching him to be a responsible little person. He has a lovely personality and no doubt will become a wonderful young adult.
Still, I have come to reaffirm that kids for me, might have been okay until the pre-teen/teenage years. I most definitely would have sent any child I had to boarding school…. Perhaps had I had my own kids I would have developed a way to cope with the teenage ‘tude by this point in their/our lives, but who knows – and am not convinced it wouldn’t be to send them away as soon as possible! π
Attitudes of entitlement and unintended disrespect are triggers for me that require a bit more meditation and introspection to fully understand. One of the recurring discussions with E is regarding tone and the use of “I know” in particular tones.
There is absolutely no doubt I was an “I know” it all preteen (perhaps I still am?!), but it is interesting to consider how tone can affect the response mechanism in others.
Since E is a bilingual speaker, he has learned that Japanese uses words to express respect or humility but has yet to fully comprehend how tone represents the same in English. Of course, he mimics his input in some ways and surely it is tough to be a kid sometimes. Still, learning the art of tone is a masterful skill when acquired fully.
For example, I could smile at my students while speaking sweetly, yet be scolding them to express my disappointment. They told me that was scarier than me becoming angry with them. π
An eleven-year-old mind cannot yet comprehend such complexity, so sadly for E it is a constant drilling and reminding. I look forward to seeing him develop more in mastering his mind and tone to his advantage. Until then… I feel for his parents and understand that it sucks to be a kid!! π
~T π
