Rugby, Unbroken
There are times when parenting is exhilarating and I feel a fullness that I cannot put into words. Those times have always involved a personal triumph that I was fortunate to either witness or participate in and usually require a lot of effort along the way. All three of my children have recently experienced such triumphs and I feel the need to write about each one so that I can preserve the joy for the rainy days ahead, when I undoubtedly will experience some parenting lows. This one is about my oldest son. Nathaniel has had an ongoing struggle with school and does not know where he currently fits in academically or will eventually fit in the world. This is probably typical of many sixteen-year-olds, but he's my first, so I have nothing to compare him with. He does not like to study, attend class, or play sports. He marches to the drum of his own beat. He is unique. While at times I love this about him because he can be entertaining, it has also presented parental challenges.