Common sense combined with fortitude. I'm glad you stuck with it! I hope that your relationship with this young lady has some staying power. I think the tenure and presence of trusted role models are just as important as getting the homework done. You seem like just the person she needs.
I think about this a lot. Families have become so atomized. Parents - maybe together, maybe not - raise children while geographically separated from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins with no ready replacement for those bonds. Especially if they live in neighborhoods of transitional homes, which is frequently the case when families move around. They are often forced into replacing such continuous, familial attention with a series of "other-adult" transactions. The people performing the service are noble, but my instinct is that this is an incomplete answer.
My wife and I insist on being present for our grandchildren. Our only argument is "how present"? We live locally, so we could overdo it. It's an advantage that I think we should press...
What another wonderful story. I was captured by both you as narrator and the sweet child you were trying to help.Your kindness & humility are heart-warming. I think your special "naturalized" perspective adds its own brightness and a fresh perspective for readers who might not have encountered such cultural issues before. Thank you for this piece!
Lovely story.
Common sense combined with fortitude. I'm glad you stuck with it! I hope that your relationship with this young lady has some staying power. I think the tenure and presence of trusted role models are just as important as getting the homework done. You seem like just the person she needs.
I think about this a lot. Families have become so atomized. Parents - maybe together, maybe not - raise children while geographically separated from grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins with no ready replacement for those bonds. Especially if they live in neighborhoods of transitional homes, which is frequently the case when families move around. They are often forced into replacing such continuous, familial attention with a series of "other-adult" transactions. The people performing the service are noble, but my instinct is that this is an incomplete answer.
My wife and I insist on being present for our grandchildren. Our only argument is "how present"? We live locally, so we could overdo it. It's an advantage that I think we should press...
Thank you for writing this very thoughtful piece.
Thank you for your thoughtful and encouraging words.
What another wonderful story. I was captured by both you as narrator and the sweet child you were trying to help.Your kindness & humility are heart-warming. I think your special "naturalized" perspective adds its own brightness and a fresh perspective for readers who might not have encountered such cultural issues before. Thank you for this piece!