Scott called yesterday to tell us about his latest performance appraisal rating at work: "Substantially exceeds expectations". A big raise and a big bonus accompanied the rating so his company definitely showed their appreciation in a large (and well deserved way). I could not possibly be prouder of Scott.
"I owe it all to the work ethic you both and Mom gave me" he said. Ah, thanks from young people - are there any words sweeter? But I always wonder where this greatly exaggerated praise comes from every time he or Laura say it (pretty often and of course they know we love to hear it) since I am pretty sure we never actually lectured them on how to live their lives when they were kids. (Well maybe we shared a pointer or two...)
I think one thing that had a lasting influence on Scott was that he would come over to do work for us almost every weekend when he was just 13, 14, 15 - until he was old enough to get a "real" job. We paid him $5 an hour (tax free) which was a pretty good amount for a young guy at the time. If he slept over and worked Saturday and Sunday he could make $100. in a weekend, enough to buy the latest teen toy or upgrade his sneakers to the exorbitantly priced celebrity-endorsed ones. Scott learned that money came from work and it also kept him productively busy and away from any of the temptations that bedevil bored teenagers. Of course, he also learned a bunch of basic homeowner skills like carpentry, plumbing and electrical wiring which have served him well (the student has way surpassed the teacher hahaha). All I knew at the time was that things were getting done around the house and it was so much fun to have Scott around.
Thank you for the call Scott. You certainly have Substantially Exceeded Our Expectations.
And you always will.
Love you.
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