My son Spencer had to interview me for a class project. The assignment required him to interview 3 people in his life. Two family members and a friend. He chose me, his brother Brandon, and his friend Daniel to interview. (Pictured here is Spencer on a family fishing & camping trip showing off his catches of the day! He's probably around 7 years old in this picture, he's 14 now!)Spencer asked us each six questions about himself. The questions were supplied by the teacher and were the same questions for all 3 of the interviewees:
1. What are my strengths?
2. What are my weaknesses?
2. What are my weaknesses?
3. What do you know about me?
4. What can people count on me for?
5. What can people never count on me for?
6. What do you think I need to hear about myself that people may be reluctant to tell me?
6. What do you think I need to hear about myself that people may be reluctant to tell me?
If you ever want to peek into your teenagers life and learn the kind of person they have grown into, I suggest a similar exercise! I was crying by the time I finished reading the last response.
What was most fascinating for me as I read the answers to the assigned questions is that all our responses were exactly the same. There was no wishy-washy on who Spencer is, the kind of young man he will be and what makes him tick. With Spencer there is no grey. It's one way or the other. He views everything this way. If there's an assignment, you do it. If his parents ask him to do something or not do something, he does just that. If coach says run, he runs and he runs hard & fast. He tackles everything with gusto and passion, no hesitation.
As Spencer's mom all the responses made me proud. They listed his strengths as disciplined, focused, determined, kind, intelligent, and athletic. Who wouldn't want those attributes used to describe their son?
What made me especially proud were the answers to question #5: what you could never count on from Spencer for? He would never be disrespectful, rude, mean spirited, would never spread a rumor, would never let his parents, family, teachers, coaches or friends down. Knowing what your child won't do and what others can count on him to not do can tell you quite a bit about a person.
Today's post is a reminder that whenever we have an opportunity to learn about our children and the type of people they are maturing into, we should seize it and praise the child who is performing extraordinarily. This is my public shout out to my very special boy who is growing into a wonderful young adult. Kudos to you Spencer! Mama is proud!
