TheBanyanTree: A Lesson

[Pam Lawley]

It's been kinda quiet here today… here's a funny story!

I have a co-worker here named Steve.  He's also a retired Marine and a
pretty good guy (though he sucks at getting the coffee made in a timely
manner, and our political views are a tad different!!)  I've met his wife
and she's a sweetie, a mom who stays home and schools their 11-year old
son.  Believe me, it's apparently a full time job!!  He's a stubborn
handful!

Steve is on the phone to her or the son several times everyday.  Sometimes
they're sharing good news, but most times (or at least he seems to me right
here, just a few feet away!) it's because Josh is just not following the
rules.  Now, Steve and his family are pretty religious, and he tries to
teach his son like the teachings in the Bible.  Everything is a lesson to be
learned from The Good Book.

And not always just mouthing off or lying or something blatant, but perhaps
just not getting up and making his bed, brushing his teeth and whatever else
is on his short list to do before breakfast.  Want to lay around in bed
being lazy?!  Well, there's a lesson for the lazy man in the Bible, and that
lazy man doesn't eat.  Want to refuse to do schoolwork, or to do it without
a fuss?  There's a lesson there too.

Sometimes the stories Steve tells are pretty funny.  Josh is stubborn and
will dig his heels in when he HAS to know that he's going to lose the
battle!!  But it seems that every time, Josh thinks that THIS time will be
the one time they cave and he gets his way!  I think I would lose patience
from total frustration, but Steve and his wife seem to remain solid and
patient, though sometimes unbelieving to the kid's stubborn side.

Earlier this week I shared my opinion with Steve.  *I* thought the boy could
use a good thwapping!!  (First I had to spell it for Steve, and then explain
what it meant!)  Using the fingers of both hands, I demonstrated how
sometimes the ends of the little electrical charges just don't line up
- they're just a little skewed.  It takes a small *thwap* upside the back of
the head to line 'em back up and get the job done!

This morning Steve told us how he had Josh doing some writing and  how it
was coming out messy and not 'up to standard'.  He sent Josh back twice to
redo his work and attempt to bring it back "up to standard". (Often times
Josh is still working on homework after his dad gets home, for obvious
reasons!)  Finally Josh called to him that he was done.  Yes, it was up to
standard, yes, he'd followed all instructions.  So, when Steve walked in and
saw the uneven writing, the work NOT up to standard on the paper, he just
thwapped the boy upside the back of his head!

"What was THAT for?!"  Steve was patient enough to use HIS fingers and
explain to Josh about those little electrical charges that just weren't
getting contact, and how the "thwap" was intended to realign all his thought
processes.
And it worked!  Josh got straight to work and finally presented a finished
product totally up to standard!!  Sometimes a good 'thwap' is all it takes
to replace hours of patient instruction.

Pam