Pass The Torch
Posted by Prairierose on Sep 12, 2006Kelly believes in our youth and has started a new meme called “Pass the Torch”. The guidelines are simple: Catch ‘em being good — write about a kid/young person you witness doing something right (or smart, or helpful or responsible, etc.) Let me share with you, one time I caught Ethan “being good.
Taking part of this particular meme has made me stop, and look at Ethan in a different way. I’ve always known that he IS a good kid, but, as I’m looking for “material” to participate in this particular meme, I just never realized how much “material” he gives me.
This week’s is a very simple one, and yet, for all the reasons I can list to beat myself up, of things that I have messed up in my life … standing back, and watching Ethan, how he carries himself as a person in society, I know that maybe a few of things I have “taught” him, have stuck.
One in particular … we were at a convience store — he run in to get me a cup of ice. When he went in, there was someone coming out. I have watched people walk in and out of that door. More often than not, they open and go out, without a look or consideration for anyone else. Sometimes, the door will shut in someone’s face, and they will have a drink or cup of coffee, sometimes one in each hand, and have to use their hip to open the door. Ethan held the door open for them … I don’t remember if they had anything in their hands or not … I just remember him holding the door. When he came out, he had a cup in his hand, but he still stopped and held the door open for someone going in.
Just a simple little gesture, and yet, if they had looked around, they would have seen this grinning fool of a mom, sitting in a blue Explorer, thinking “Thats MY son”…watching out for others, being courteous, being polite.
September 12th, 2006 at 3:33 pm
YES! That IS what it’s all about. I think you’ve explained perfectly one of the reason’s I love Pass the Torch Tuesday. By allowing ourselves to recognize a way our kids make us proud, we’re also recognizing the part we played in their up-bringing.
It would be hard for me to think of anything more powerfully positive, than that.
Bravo, again, Carolyn.
Kelly
Pass the Torch
September 12th, 2006 at 3:36 pm
A boy like that is a great reflection on his parents. Good job Mom!
September 12th, 2006 at 4:21 pm
I love to see kids being polite like that, in a world with so much bad, it really makes my day. :O)
September 13th, 2006 at 8:14 am
That must have made you feel really good. My daughter is older now, but I remember when we would walk down the street, people seem to have disregard for children and bump into them, don’t use the same manners they would on adults, butt in front of them in line…and I would always be so pleased that she still maintained her manners…and composure. It was often me who lost patience with rude pubic behaviour.
I don’t ususally find it is kids who are rude, but rather their parents.
This morning I ran out of tea, so I went to a coffee shop. Just ahead of me, almost same time a family of seven entered the coffee shop. They were ahead of me fair and square. I get theat, okay. But I knew the kids are going to take hours to decide what they want. They are going to take ALL MORNING to decide what muffin they want. After about five minutes, I became a little disillusioned…it seemed strange to me in an empty coffee shop, except for them, and me, they didn’t allow me to go ahead. Finally, the father said, you need to just pick one…the mother had an attitude and expression that I would describe as a formerly yuppie attitude but now I would say…it was “entitlement” a word popping around the world…but this really was it. She was there firist, her family ran the world, they deserved to take up as much space and time as they liked.
I got the creeps actually. Then another server came from the back kitchen and gave me a signal, and I gestured “large coffee” we smiled and as I walked out the door…the family was still deciding what it wanted to order.
Hey, it’s a free world go ahead, take your time…it’s just that in some weird way it was a meataphor for all the lazy sad selfish actions in the world.
My family needs a ride to school..so we will buy gasoline even thought he world is at war because of oil and the environment is damaged…we need to drive a car…we are entitled!
It just seemed NOT RUDE, but depressing that the parents didn’t see how they were colonizing a room. On their own, two of the kids, smiled at me, and went to sit down. I was really impressed by them. the parents never caught my eye once, although the mother was making a big fuss about looking around at the room and her hair and clothes.
I don’t know, now I have rambled here on your poor blog. so ha ha
I found you on the Thursday Thirteen blogroll…and this week I was trying to visit folks on the blogroll not just on Thursday this week but mix it up a bit!
Well, good on Ethan and YOU!
Cheers,
Candy
September 14th, 2006 at 3:39 pm
How very sweet and thoughtful of your son to show good manners and hold the door open for others. Here in Florida it is rather expected and the kids also say Mr and Mrs still. We are very polite in the south. hehe! What I love about your story is the way you described yourself! That is a mother’s true love!
September 14th, 2006 at 9:57 pm
Just stopped by to say thanks for coming over to my TT. Your template is oh so pretty!