........And A Child Shall Lead Them

      It's the middle of the week in the beginning of June. Temperature is high, attitudes are higher. My son comes home from school with his progress report. This report has his grades at the half way mark of the semester. Needless to say, it wasn't any good. Before I go any further I need to explain a few things about my son and I.
      My educational career came to an abrupt stop at the age of 16. I very stupidly quit school. I was always told I could do whatever I want. I would have to suffer the consequences of my decisions. It wasn't until later in life that I found out I wouldn't be the only one paying for these decisions. My wife and children would also suffer. My quitting school took away all of my options. I was not able to get a good paying job or afford the luxury of spoiling my kids with all the latest gadgets. We lived in a poor, crime ridden neighborhood. My family and I were surrounded with guns, drugs, and attempted murder. I couldn't let my kids play outside safely without worrying if something might happen. Yes, I attribute this to not having finished high school. I feel bad for this and try to use this as an example for my children. "If you don't like living in this environment, then graduate high school and not only DO better then me, but BE better then me".
      My son has his own issues he is facing. Being of mixed race, partially deaf, and overweight. He was experiencing bullying and teasing of the cruelest kind. He always tries his very best and he is quiet. He is not the class clown or a trouble maker. He comes home from school and does his homework before playing video games. So when I saw his progress report I was shocked.
      I flew into him with a verbal thrashing about how it is very important, not only to his mother and me, that he gets good grades and graduates and makes something of himself. Don't make the same mistakes I made. Well at the end of my tirade my, then 13 year old, son looked me square in the eye and said "Why should I dad? You don't have yours! If it's so important, how come you don't have one?" Well, to say the least I was floored. For once I had no snappy comeback. Everything this child said was nothing but the cold, hard truth.
      So, I started going back to school in 2007. I went through the External Diploma Program and finished it the late summer early fall of 2008. I enrolled at Wor-Wic Community College and completed my first two semester's before I finally received my High School Diploma June of 2009. Here it is 2011 and I am still in college. I joke with my friends and say "I am going to a 2 year institution on the 15 year plan." Reality is, I only sign up for 2 or 3 classes per semester.
      When I got my diploma my son jokingly hung his head and said "crap!" He was quick to tell me he was proud with a big grin on his face. I am proud to say my son MADE me go back to school. I am even prouder to have a son that would have the courage to challenge my challenge to him and the rest of my children. I am sure that this is not what the bible meant when it mentions "......and a child shall lead them", but I think it still applies here. For it took a child for me to go back to school..............