my kid, Eric

My son Eric is my middle child.  He's 21 and has all the traits (real or imagined) of the middle kid.  I always down played the whole middle kid thing.  When I remarried he was 10 and ended up being toward the young side of the age range.  When you marry a guy with 5 kids your kids do change.  I'd like to think all three of mine did, for the better. When my kids were little I was from the kinder, gentler school of thought, you know kids shouldn't be spanked, talk out our feelings, and all that stuff.  All that stuff is great, but there is a time and a place for discipline and thankfully I figured it out before I remarried and got 5 more kids.  I didn't spank, but I did make sure my children showed me respect and thankfully they have all pretty much grown up to be respectful hardworking members of society.

When Eric graduated High School in 2003 he decided he wanted to be a teacher and went to a University about 1/2 hour away.  Eric is a smart kid, but he never wanted the pressure of trying too hard in advance classes like his older brother Tim did.  He's the type that has always marched to his own tune.  His first year of college was horrible, he did nothing and flunked out.  The summer before this he had been working in the Menards warehouse, then at the store near the college after he started college.  After the whole college thing, he decided to go for his job at Menards with gusto.  He's now the Assistant Manager in the large hardware department.  I could not be more proud of him.

Over the course of the last two years Eric has shared housing with two different groups of guys.  All college kids who go to school full time.  Eric works A LOT.  He also has an income.  The first group partied too much flunked out of school and left the apartment trashed.   He paid a price for that mess.  The group he's with now are a bit more responsible.  Except for last week.  Seems one kid took some drugs went nuts, kicked a wall in, and slammed his fists into some parked cars.  All this while Eric is at work, the place he's been working at for 12 straight days.  The landlords were none too happy so they are being evicted.

Brings me to last evening.  Eric visits are not real regular, usually when his girlfriend is home on school break (she goes to the same school he want to) or if he's in town visiting his friends.  Eric tells us about the situation, of course my husband is "oh sure Eric you can move back here until next fall when you move in with your friends (these are guys he's grown up with).  Which I think is ok too.  We have the room and it would be nice to see my kid on a regular basis.  I am just glad he's grown up enough to stay out of trouble.  Very glad it wasn't my kid running around bashing in walls.  I know my children are NOT angels.  I know they drink, as a matter of fact 3 of my kids have some rather nice bars in their homes.  But for me I've been there done that.  They are young they have their own lives to live.  Choices to make.  I am glad though that they at least have the sense to come home and talk things out with mom.  Oh yeah his girlfriend is driving him nuts too.  That one is all on him!

Besides his experience at the store has him offering to help me build a pond this summer in the backyard.  And my old house need a bunch of updating...besides he gets a discount!!!