This is Ryan right before he left to go on his first interview for a busboy position at the local sandwich shop. He was nervous. Very nervous. I knew he would be, so a few days before the interview we began role-playing. I wanted him to feel comfortable and confident that he was qualified for the job. Although it’s always hard to know exactly what questions are going to be asked during an interview, there tend to be some standard…
My niece stopped by for a quick visit on her way through to Burning Man. She was driving my sister’s 2003 Honda Accord. “Yup, it’s my car now,” my niece smiled. I knew she had been having problems with her 1993 Toyota Tercel . But I didn’t know what the problems were. “So what happened to your car?” I asked. “I ran out of oil.” Really? That’s what the problem was? Not an old transmission or faulty spark plugs? But…
Ryan just got back from Winco. He was grocery shopping. For me. My entire weekly list of items. For over a year, Ryan has asked me if he could do the grocery shopping. He knows it’s way down on my list below scrub the toilet and clean the hair out of the sink. But for some reason, I thought it would be more of a hassle having him do it than me just going and getting it over with. I…
“There’s no way I want to write down everything I eat.” That comment came from my 16-year old son, Ryan, as we were driving home from his sports medicine appointment a few weeks ago. Ryan is a runner. And recently he’s been experiencing extreme lethargy after his races. So, naturally, as a parent, I want to figure out what’s going on. After confirming with his pediatrician, the cardiologist, and the sports medicine doctor that Ryan is healthier and in better…
Ryan just learned how to use the ATM machine at our bank. It’s Sunday and the bank is closed but Ryan really wanted to deposit several checks that he’d been holding on to. “No problem”, I said. “Just use the ATM.” It occurred to me that maybe he had no idea how to use an ATM, after all, he’s only had his checking account for several months. But he didn’t bat an eye when I recommended it, so I passed…