all the riches in the world can't compare to your smile

I miss my kids. I don't get to see them nearly enough, and the times I do get to seem to pass by far too quickly. Sometimes I feel like I'm not much of a father to them because I live so far away, but at least they know that no matter what, I'm just a phone call away when they need me. Unfortunately, they don't always put that to use. My ten year old started to panic the other day because his teacher told the class how important math is because they'll have to use it every day of their lives, and math is his worst subject. I'm not as concerned about it as he is because I know he's a smart kid. In fact, his school placed him in the accelerated learning program this year, and his teacher said that he's still one of the smartest kids in his class (his best friend is an asthmatic kid in a wheelchair, no wait, that's Malcolm).

I wish I could say my daughter is in the same boat, but I can't. Her midterm grades are horrendous, but part of that is due to the trip to Mexico, and she's taking steps to get caught up now, so it's hard to be too mad at her. Disappointed, but not mad. She has been putting the 'just a phone call away' part of our relationship to good use over the past few days, mainly looking for help with certain homework assignments. I may not be smart enough to pass my comps, but I can explain the hydrological cycle, scientific notation, and the properties of water to a twelve year old over the phone.

My youngest son is probably the one I worry about the most. The other two have memories of living with me, but all he'll know is that I came by every other month or so for weekend visits the entire time he was growing up. I'm hoping that he'll understand everything later, but right now it's got to be confusing. He got mad at me a week and a half ago when I dropped them off, and he wouldn't come give me a hug goodbye, and don't think that didn't make it even harder to leave.

Anyway, this post is really just a bunch of rambling (aren't they all?), but since I've been thinking about my kids, I thought I'd write something about them, and post a few pictures. Thanks for bearing with me.