So last year Thane lost his focus. OK, honestly we all did. The whole family was a bit scattered. Thane was suffering most of all. His marks were plummeting. He was constantly getting in trouble in school. Some fighting, but mainly disruptive behaviour. He was always trying to catch a laugh. Trying to upstage the teacher. Pointing out errors in lessons, distracting his friends with improv and impressions. (Wipe the smirks off your faces. We're not here to discuss genetics!)
Finally in a last ditch effort to salvage his school year we came together as a family. What came from this little brainstorming session? A paper route for Thane of course. Why not punish everyone for the sins of one? Mmmm. That was probably a tad sarcastic. But let's face it this was a family adventure.
Seriously, all five of us were involved. The papers arrived mid afternoon. I hauled them in the house and started collating. Bet you've never given a thought to the person who sticks the circulars inside your community newspaper. You'll recognize them if you run into them at the mall. Their hands are black with ink and they smell like the inside of Staples. You know. That cloyingly sweet new paper smell.
Chris made sure to try to come home early on "paper day," as we lovingly called it. His smile looked something like a grimmace as he walked through the door every Thursday night. "I'm home. Paper day. Again. What am I making for supper?" Oh yes, supper was on him because Thane and I had to head out before dark to get the 108 papers delivered.
And we did it. For one year. Through rain, snow, heat waves, and crazy wind we delivered papers. At first the only benefit Thane saw was the increasing amount of money in his bank account. He didn't ask to spend it though. He was saving it for university. Or so he told us. Never let it be said that 8 year old boys don't know how to suck up. He moaned. We moaned. We took turns being angry with each other for having to go out at the most inconvenient times to deliver papers. I would blame him for needing to learn responsibility the hard way. He would blame me for getting him the job in the first place. But eventually we found our groove.
And soon the time we spent together became a time to tease each other, a time to listen to our favorite music together. Chris got the hang of Thursday suppers, and Caden and Ava got to spend time with Daddy. Thane started to realize his family, his team, had his back. He started to feel more secure. More self assured. We also met a lot of people in our little community. We'd stop and chat with them. These distant people became neighbors in the true sense of the word. Because Thane started to put names to faces he began to harbour a sense of responsibility. He wanted to make sure he delivered the papers well and on time. I'm not saying he didn't have bad days. But let's face it. His attitude was a lot better than mine.
And now, a year later, Thane is doing great in school. His grades have improved. He's found his place. His place in his family, his place in his school, and his place in his community. Oh he still has his moments. Anything for a laugh. But we're getting there. We had another family meeting to discuss all the new things we wanted to try in 2011 and the paper route became extraneous. His desire to continue his third year of guitar lessons proving he understands commitment. Parents act on the kid's behalf when calling the newspaper offices. When I told Thane's boss Thane was ready give up his route he replied, "No worries, some other kid will grab it." I hope they grab all the opportunities that paper route offers. Including the opportunity to grow.
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