Unfulfilled Dreams

I heard a quote via Adrienne Clarkson (CBC) the other day:

"One of the greatest influences in a child's life is the unfulfilled dreams of their parents."'

Today, my eldest daughter decided to drop her Grade 12 French Immersion course. She was having difficulty and struggling daily, had lost confidence and so made the decision to give up. It was the last course she needed to fulfil the requirements of the Ontario Certificate in French Immersion -- what would have been a nice feather in her cap not to mention a leg up in the job search world.

As I face the painful reality of this, it is my own disappointment that surfaces. How I wish I had the opportunity to have a French Immersion education. How I wish I could have been immersed in the language from a young age, acquiring that beautiful French accent you only get when you learn as a youngster. How I wish I could currently apply for career opportunities that list bilingualism as a definite asset.

It is my own loss that I grapple with. All those hours advocating for French. The hours I spent creating a presentation to the School Board when they threatened to remove the French Immersion program from our rural school, all the French dictionaries and workbooks I searched for and purchased to support my daughter's study, the tutors, the homework help, alas ...

I will now move on, realizing it is my own disappointment that taints my ability to support my teenager's decision. She speaks French beautifully and has no inhibition in helping French- speaking customers in her part-time job or speaking freely to Quebecors vacationing at the same resort we are enjoying. That truly is the value of the French education she has received. Hopefully it won't take me too long to reconcile this ...

But ah, the unfilled dream of a parent. Powerful.

On the gay movement

I'm glad I took a few minutes to read Maclean's this week. Another quote from Fran Lebowitz: "I am stunned that the two greatest desires apparently of the people involved in the gay rights movement are gay marriage and gays in the military. Really? To me, these are the two most confining institutions on the planet: people used to pretend to be gay to get out of going into the army."

A fleeting thought about writing a book

Lately I have been toying with the idea of writing a book. Then I read Barbara Amiel in Maclean's March 28, 2011. She quoted Fran Lebowitz:

"Too many people are writing books, period. The books are terrible and this is because you have been taught self-esteem. And apparently you have so much self esteem that you think, you know what, I shouldn't keep these thoughts to myself. I should share them with the world."

Perhaps I shall just take some photographs.

Teenage eyes

These are the eyes of a teenager. My teenager. Oh so beautiful. But, oh, what do they see? They see human parents who are really just gatekeepers, or big blockades stopping them from doing what they really want to do and hanging with who they want to hang with. And who have bad taste in music. They see teachers who are disconnected, irrelevant, and rant on things they will never ever use again once they finish this semester.

They see school as prison. Chores as punishment.

Leafy greens as poison. Whole wheat as worse.

Meandering explained

This is a great word. Meandering. Primarly used to describe a river and how it winds in and out. But a good name for a blog as well, especially one with thoughts, observations, and commentary on toipcs of everyday life.

Dictionary 1: "circuitous journey" -- this is perfect. It describes my life. Going around in circles, on a journey, but not evident the destination.

Dictionary 2: "winding paths" -- this is good too. Seems to describe life in general and the people and places that wind in and out of your life. We cross paths, we go down the same path, we take a different path, all the way winding in a certain direction, or not.

Dictionary 3: "wander at random" - oh, definitely. Describes my typical day. Flitting from one thing to another.

I hope you enjoy meandering through my blog ...