Children: |
My son, Cam, is a senior at Rose-Hulman in Terre Haute, Indiana. (unless you're an engineer, you probably More…don't recognize the college, but U.S. News & World Reports ranks it as the #1 for undergraduate engineering).
Little kids flock to Cam; teachers love that he smiles all the time; girls consider him their best friend, but not bad enough for a crush; and his friends and family can count on his loyalty and devotion.
Cam's very smart and doesn't suffer fools gladly. He wants to become a doctor, but I wonder about his bedside manner. On the other hand, he assures me that I am the only one he "treats this way" and its only because I am the only one who pushes his buttons. He's had more than his share of experience as a patient, so that might make him more empathetic with them.
Cam's one of the sweetest young men I know. When he came home for this summer, he took his little sister out to buy a party dress. He stayed with her the whole time, having her model the dresses and helping her decide.
My daughter, Kenzie, will be a sophomore in high school this year. (We skipped the kid in the middle). Where Cam is brilliant with numbers and engineering, Kenzie is the one with people skills (something she did not get from me.)
Kenzie, like her brother is a great athlete (yeah, yeah: she obviously didn't get that from me.) She's on both the tennis and golf team at her school.
Basically, Kenzie is everything I was not in high school & it makes me green with envy. She's definitely a queen bee in her school, although she has a very wide circle of friends. She's had long-term boyfriends since 6th grade! I'm delighted that she's "single" now and not in a rush to date just anyone.
It really is quite different raising a girl than it was raising a boy. Kenzie doesn't get into trouble the way her brother did, but between boyfriends and cyberspace, she adds lots of worry lines to my face.
Kenzie talks now about wanting to be a dermatologist, but her mom would sure like to give her exposure to diplomatic jobs where she could take full advantage of her extraordinary people skills. If any of you have that kind of job or contacts, I'd sure like to know. |