<p>So, my husband picks up the local paper today and says, “Wow! Our kid’s picture is on the front page.”</p>
<p>It ends up that S, 18, an Americorps volunteer, was operating an information booth at a young professional’s group yesterday evening, and the newspaper snapped his pix.</p>
<p>When we see the paper, S casually said that he also had been filmed by TV while he was doing another volunteer activity yesterday, and that story was supposed to be shown on TV last night.</p>
<p>S didn’t understand why his dad and I would prefer to learn about these experiences by his telling us so we can see him on TV and not accidentally toss the paper with his pix.</p>
<p>Except that it happened to Northstarmom’s son and not mine, I would have thought that this was WashDadJr. Do we get to do another “clueless offspring” thread? </p>
<p>(Congrats, even if you didn’t get to see the on-air piece.)</p>
<p><strong>CONGRATS</strong> to your marvelous, but modest, son!!! I’m quite certain that he’s made you VERY proud, regardless of the press coverage, but WHY do boys tend to downplay these things??? My girls would be DVRing it and replaying it every three seconds! Congrats again! I’m really proud of him!</p>
<p>My daughter is the same way. I always find out great things from someone else, or much later.
However, when I told her I was in L.A. at the Jay Leno show in the front row of the audience the night before, she was so mad at me for not calling her cross country so she could turn on the TV and see me sitting there!</p>
<p>I was on a business trip when I started getting e-mails from friends at work saying “Great Article”, “You must be proud”, etc. </p>
<p>I had no idea what they were talking about. The local paper had been told of a significant outside scholarship that my son had won. They had interviewed DS and his teachers, had come to my house and taken pictures (BEFORE I left on by business trip!) and son didn’t seem to think it signifiicant enough to mention.</p>
<p>Luckily many people left copies of the article (and one neighbor even framed it!).</p>
<p>Congrats NSM. If would be neat if you could write about Americorps and your son’s experiences. I’ve heard about it, students we know have applied but I really don’t know much.</p>
<p>Boys. Phew. I am happy to hear your son is doing well. I’ve been very impressed since I’ve started reading this board with how honest you’ve been concerning the ups and downs. I’m sure it’s helped many along the way.</p>
<p>My mom was always got mad when I’d come home from FFA Contests and she asked how it went and I’d say “eh…it was okay.” and then hideout in my room. it wasnt until I’d tell her “hey i’m going to district ffa” or “going to state ffa” a few days before and she’d say “uh…what for?” then i’d have to explain that i’d won or advanced or whatever. </p>
<p>i think alot of kids these days (boys and girls) are modest about recognition in the paper. i know my local paper publishes who’s on the Dean’s List or President’s List at their colleges each semester and my parents were completely shocked to see my name since all semester when they’d ask how classes were going i’d say “they’re okay. nothing too hard. nothing too easy.” but to me it wasnt a big deal–work hard, get the job done, move on to the next thing. it’s not that we’re not proud of what we’ve done—we are very proud on the inside but whether 1000 people know what you did or just 5, you still did it regardless. <does that make sense?</p>
<p>I’m the owner of one of those boys too. One day in his senior year, he was really dressed up for school. I asked “why?” He says “A guest speaker is coming to school today and I was chosen to go to the airport with the principal to pick him up. It’s no big deal”. I found out later it was a Nobel Prize winner and S was the only student from his 3000 student school who picked him up at the airport, rode in the limo. and talked with him all the way back to school and escorted him to the podium. “No big deal”</p>
<p>He also got a large college scholarship but did not bother to report it to the school newspaper that publishes senior awards.</p>
<p>Had a newspaper interview and large pic. of himself and his best friend when they both received NROTC scholarships. He wore athletic shorts and flip flops…not a big deal.</p>
<p>Since he has been at college (large state u, over 25,000 students) has had his picture in the schools’s student newspaper twice. Mom has begged for a copy. “Oh, Mom it’s just a picture, not a big deal!” </p>
<p>I think the “play-it-down” attitude is very healthy. It means they’re well-rounded, not too full of themselves, and not resting on their laurels. I have a similar situation with one son. I’m so proud I could burst, but he’s just happy he did well and then moves on to the next thing. When he completed his college app, I had to keep reminding him of activities he had participated in, awards he had won. “Oh – should I put that down?” Well, duh.</p>
Congrats again! I’m really proud of him!</p>