Best of Intentions
Our teenage son tries hard. He doesn’t always succeed — but so what?
Our teenager is the nicest person in our family. We call him Clark Kent the Wonder Kid, because, in his heart, he believes he’s Superman. Not that Clark is nice only because of ADHD. Far from it. But I think his intense focus on the present gives him a leg up on the rest of us. We hold on to past hurts in our present thoughts. Clark just forgets.
Clark’s also kind. Last night my husband, Eric, asked him to do a few favors: get cash, get ice and pack it in a cooler, and get gas. “No problem,” Clark said.
He got the ice. He got the gas. He got the cash. As he left in his own car to take his girlfriend home, Eric reminded him, “Put the ice in the cooler in the back of my car.” “No problem,” Clark said.
The alarm clock went off early. Eric scurried around getting ready for work, happy that he didn’t have to stop for ice or gas. He went out the door. Half an hour later, my phone dinged with texts from my husband.
“Clark didn’t put the top on the cooler — the ice is melted. Sometimes helping is not helpful, but he had a great attitude about it.”
So, another day in the Clark Kent chronicles. The nicest person in the family? For sure. The rest — did I mention he’s the nicest person in our family?
