What He Learned on His Summer Vacation

To see if any of this season's disciplinary actions were accomplishing anything, and because I'd run out of major chores to keep David busy all day while I was at work, I gave him a writing assignment to punctuate what has--out of necessity--become some sort of disciplinary summer school around here. He was given a thousand word essay to write entitled "What I Learned on My Summer Vacation."

I'll spare you all thousand words, but here are some of the things he says he's learned.

"I have learned that my behaviors affect other people in ways I did not realize... They show that I do not appreciate what others do for me...
I cause stress, tension, shame, feelings of rejection, and distrust."

"These unacceptable behaviors put a block between my father and I (sic)."

"I have lost more things in the past five years than I ever had before. I have lost every privilage (sic), I have risked a lasting relationship with my father. I have risked everything for what? For a fleeting moment of what I wanted."

"I have come to understand what the main reasons why I lose everything are. These reasons basically come down to three behaviors. I have learned that these three behaviors are disobediance (sic), defiance, and disrespect. Disobediance (sic) is what starts the downward plunge every time."

"I have realized that no matter what I do, my father will end up catching me."

"I understand and realize that to change I have to accept guidance and redirection and use the advice given in my life."

"I learned how to properly patch a wall so it looks like it did before. I learned the process of repairing a cieling (sic) which includes sanding the chips, putting on spackel (sic), sanding that down. Then I also learned how to paint the cieling (sic)."

"I learned how to sand drips of paint down and paint over that."

"I learned to sand and paint with the grain."

"I learned what a miter box is."

"I learned what a downspout is."

"I learned the best way to clean a paint roller so you can use it many times. I also learned how to clean a paint brush extremely well."

"I learned how hard my father works to keep up the house."

"I learned what it feels like to accomplish something productive and I liked the feeling a lot."

"I have learned that the Olympics is a great bonding experiance (sic)."

"I understand that my behaviors are the cause of a lot of problems. To get rid of the problems, I have to get rid of the behaviors."

"I have learned that life is easier when you follow the rules."

"I have learned to present ideas that could be seen as an argument in other ways."

"I have learned that I need to get to know my family, set priorities better, and that it's better to be thorough than vague."

"I have learned if you do a project right the first time, you do not have to do it again."

I'm hoping this means I'll get some sort of break before having to teach all of these lessons another hundred times. At least what I think I'm reading is that he's attempting to connect a few of the dots, and in my book, that's progress.

There's a sixteenth birthday happening around here in less than a month.