I have a son who is very private and very humble. He really doesn’t like me boasting about him on Facebook, so I have no recourse but to mention him here :) He doesn’t even like me to post his artwork, and it’s so very wonderful.
He is an art major, English Lit minor, in his junior year, 2nd semester at a challenging liberal arts college having entered it straight out of homeschooling. He has kept his GPA up and retained his scholarship award and art proficiency award since he began; his scholarship is half of his tuition, so it’s pretty substantial. He is also a DJ for the college’s radio station, and we are told he has quite a fan base, and the college gets more calls and emails about “DJ Doug” weekly, and they haven’t seen that kind of popularity in a personality at the college for 8 years.
Still, he is a humble person. He does not flaunt his intelligence or talents. And I enjoy that he is becoming his own person, long blonde locks and all. I do not try to make my children be something they are not. As long as they are moral conscious beings, there is nothing wrong with them developing their own styles and impressions and opinions.
But, while he is very well rounded, and liberally educated, he is there as an art major …..which to some sounds so….easy….well, it is anything but. It is the second most difficult degree program, second to music. And he is in a “traditional” art program – so it includes Art History which is some of the the most vast and difficult history you’d ever want to open a book to….and these books aren’t cheap! lol! $250 They are heavily copyrighted due to all the art they contain, generally in color and each semester cover a different influence: Asian, Japanese, Renaissance, Western, European – Reformation and Primitive Art… like way primitive….your know caveman art on cave walls....
Art major comprises enormous amounts of time spent doing actual art, in different calculated medias changing every semester. It is hard and stretches you….usually away from what your niche in art really is. My son’s specialty is ink – hand drawn intricate detailed ink scenes and images. This year, from the student art show, one of his newly penned ink pieces is the featured “art card” for the show. We are so proud. This the the art card that advertises the event. After 5 semesters of drawing, advanced drawing, life drawing (nude – yes, nude woman), design I, design II, sculpture and printmaking, he is able to do more advanced drawing in his own field of “free” work at this point and as long as he is producing “X” amount of work per a certain amount of time, he is meeting the requirements for his art this semester. He is thrilled to be back dabbling in ink – his favorite. When he starts back next school season he'll tackle painting.
So, while he is deeply involved and active in his college career right now, truly exhausted and running on empty many days, sometimes for weeks…he is certainly productive. There are some high moments. There are some lows. There are frustrations of balancing social and academic, special issues and events and three part time jobs, while commuting….and then just “being” who you are among all of it. When I think of what I did at his age, which was near nothing, I wish my parents had pushed excellence because I know I had much more in me that could have been tapped at that age. Some of the troubles I got into could have been avoided had my parents been more in tune, and more prone toward guiding us. But they came from backgrounds of “18” was grown up and you made your own decisions and went your way. And we were left with very little guidance in the way of career possibilities. I think my father just thought we were going to live with them forever and he would pay our way forever!!! haha
At any rate, I am impressed!!! My husband and I both are impressed. We were never that productive at that age (this is the young man who turned 21 recently), or mature. And I’m sure part of it is because of what we weren’t, and because we home school, and because “WE CAN”, give so much more and see what we don’t want for our children, it has produced this in this particular son. I suppose you almost can't give them too much....what they don't need, or think they don't need, they could slough off. Better to give it all and be sure.
In the end, it’s not about “us”, it’s about them - it's about him. It’s what we do with our lives and how we are giving them the best for this generation of time.
Thank you Lord for allowing us to do it. Let your grace continue to guide us and bless them – all four of them – with your abundance, protection and wisdom.
2 comments:
You have a seriously motivated guy, there, Denise. What a neat kid. Good work, Mama!
Thanks Megan, but he does all the work! We just gave him as many opportunities and encouragement - gently and moderating pushing at times!...I think young people need to put those energies that can turn negative quite easily into something bigger than themselves, noble and good work...and it helps their confidence and self esteem greatly because they've done it themselves. Sometimes they have to be pushed to do it...but in the end, it's their own.
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