The Buckets by Greg Cravens for June 13, 2012

Have you ever heard a 15 year old say “gee I did not know that.”

Carl Sagan used to say that he preferred to speak to 4th graders, who asked questions, rather than high schoolers, who feared to ask anything because teen culture demands that you already know answers and asking questions was weak or uncool. I’m paraphrasing.

Conversely, he could let her make the decisions. And then go along with them.Naah. What am I thinking!?

What worked in the group home, when I lived there, was ‘switch day’. On a summer day, which was usually very busy, staff and residents ‘switched’ roles. Some residents became the staff and had to keep the house up etc. After that, we all gained a new respect for what the staff had to deal with (especially, when the staff made us ‘restrain’ them. They get 10-20 hours worth of training on proper restraint techniques, so that you can stop the child, but not hurt him or her.)

I’ve known a couple of people who were sent away to gain respect for or recover from their homelife. They’d get to the camp and be told “There’s the lumber and fixin’s. You’d better get started on building a bed so you’ll have something to sleep on by dark.” One kid reportedly smirked and said, “Yeah, right.” after hearing that. A few weeks later when she returned home and her mother offered to make her a sandwich, I was told she acted truly, truly grateful for the offer. Close to tears..Me? I’m still wishing I’d gone Outward Bound. It sounds great.

But for your family Toby.

LOL LOL… A day will never go by when Toby won’t argue back.

xxx

It does, a bit!