Father's Log, Star Date 2007.05.28 (Memorial Day)

It's wearisome to be a parent. Today Ethan and I were at Grandma's for dinner; Mama and Artie stayed home. Uncle D, Aunt N and their girls were over as well. I opted to drink some soup and catch 25 minutes of sleep instead of joining the family for dinner. When I woke up, Ethan was still sitting in the baby seat while the rest of the family were repositioned around the living room after the meal. I asked my dad if he's being punished and was relieved when I found out that he wasn't. (You have to understand that I had returned home from work last Thursday and Friday to find Ethan who was being punished by his mom, and was sitting buckled in his kiddie chair for two consecutive days.)

Well, I wanted to write about how wearisome it is to be a parent, and the lack of sleep is making it difficult to lock on to a single cohesive thought. Anyway, if you know me, you'll know I don't typically pass up on food. But I did tonight because sleep was that much more vital. Maybe it was the program on Sleep that was broadcast by NPR this Sunday. It noted that the lack of sleep bends a person's protein and makes it difficult for the body to absorb, thereby leaving a toxic buildup which leads to fatigue. This buildup can only be cleansed through sleep.

Then you may be wondering, why I'm up at 11:43pm typing on this blog. Well, I didn't think it would be fair that Mama's voice be the only one that is recorded in this evolving journal.

There's a whole bunch of things that I want to write about today, but I guess I'll skip most of them for only one revealing point. My nephew told me that he had made it to Mark Twain Junior High School. It's a specialized school in Brooklyn. I was happy for him, then I asked if his good friend HK made it there as well.

He said, no. He's going to a regular school, there were only two people in his class who made it to Mark Twain. I see my nephew was a little disappointed by the fact that his best friend could not go with him. I was shocked.

The last time I had seen HK with my nephew was about 3 years ago. At that time I saw HK as being extremely bright and carried himself with as much self-confidence as a 10 (?) year old could.

I asked my sister, "Isn't HK really very intelligent?"

She replied, "Yeah, so what. He started playing video games." That was all the explanation she gave, and that was all the explanation she needed.

A person's aptitude may be God given. But, hard work and perseverance are things that need to be developed.

Success = Skill + Will + Luck
(You'll need at least two of the three to have a fighting chance.)

As a parent, my mission is to make sure Ethan and Artie refine their skills and build up their determination/work ethics. This will minimize their reliance on luck.

-Papi