Zach doesn't get nearly as much attention as Gloria, both on the blog and in life, but he seems to be ok with that. He's not one to jump in front of the camera to have his picture taken. Again. He usually doesn't tell me much about his day unless I work hard to draw it out of him. And he very rarely asks for help with his school work. Or anything else, for that matter. On the rare occasion that he needs me, I try to help him as quickly as I can. You know, like when he wanted to learn to drive and it only took us 2 years to get his driver's licence.
It was harder than I thought it would be for me to take on the role of Driver's Ed Teacher. Although Zach is a very cautious driver, I was still pretty nervous turning over the wheel. I'm not too fond of not being in control so it was a good lesson for both of us. At any rate, we FINALLY scheduled and passed the driving test last Thursday (I can say "WE" because I'm taking credit for this one!) and on Monday afternoon we went to the DMV and took the final step in what turned out to be a VERY long process:
I often think back on the days when he was completely dependant on me. Although, even when he was a toddler, he didn't ask for much. He was pretty content with a good book or a good cartoon on TV. I could get all sappy here and go on and on about his childhood and how quickly it has gone by and how much I'm going to miss him when he's gone. But I won't. Because I try not to think about it. . .
Anyway. . . Along with the guilt I have about taking so long to get his driver's licence is the guilt I have about not helping him more with school. I'm grateful that he takes 100% responsibility for his school work and, more than that, he seems to really enjoy the process. I've always been involved in the past and I've enjoyed learning right along with him but this year he has books that I would have to really make myself understand in order to be of any use to him. Take Chemistry, for example. I received my first "C" during my sophomore year of high school. It was in Chemistry. I didn't get it. I didn't enjoy it. I didn't learn anything. So when Zach told me he wanted to take Advanced Chemistry this year, I told him he'd be on his own. He already knew this. I haven't been much help to him in Science since about the 7th grade. The way I know he is learning something is how well I understand it when he explains it to me. He dumbs it down a little just to make me feel better. I DO enjoy the experiments, so that is usually something we do together. His science kit came with all of the necessary chemicals. The first experiment was about what happens when basic chemicals are mixed together in distilled water. So, these two chemicals. . .
. . . look like this:
And these two chemicals. . .
. . . look like this:
And, finally, these two chemicals. . .
. . . look like this:
If Chemistry were just about pretty colors, I might be able to show a little more interest. . .
Unfortunately, there's a lot more to it. This is where I nod and smile and say, "uh huh" a lot and Zach finishes up the experiment:
His other lessons get about the same response from me. I DO claim to be a math person but Calculus stopped me in my tracks my senior year. Didn't get it. Didn't enjoy it. Didn't learn anything. Luckily Zach's book came with a CD Rom that has a professor who explains everything in detail.
I'm pretty sure he likes all of his subjects but this book has really captured his attention. It's called "Tools of Dominion, The Case Laws of Exodus". I wish I had the time and extra brain cells to read this with him but the parts that he has shared with me that he finds especially interesting cause my brain to shut down. Kind of like when I get the warning box on my computer that there has been a fatal error and Internet Explorer is shutting down. It's just too much. . .
I cringe a little when I hear myself "brag" about my kids but I just feel the need to say that I'm really thankful for this boy of mine who is turning into a really amazing man. . .
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