Music to Swim By

Erin had a swim meet Tuesday night (she swam fairly good, but had goggle problems) in Wilmington, and on the long drive home a BeeGees song came on the radio, and after I told her it was a bunch of guys singing like that she said, ‘Really? That freaks me out! Change the channel!’ Later, when ‘Hey You’ by Pink Floyd came on and she again asked me to change the channel because ‘I don’t like how it makes me feel.’

It was a beautiful drive home--it was just getting real dark and the fireflies were out in force in the cornfields, and Erin and I also talked about school. She asked me what my best subjects in school were (I truthfully said I did well in all), and then she said that she wasn't so good at math. I lightheartedly corrected her: "Erin, it's not that you're not good at math. Rather, it's that if it isn't something easy you aren't willing to buckle down and take the time to learn the 'trick' for doing it. When we try to explain to you how to do some homework you are having problems with, you are so busy trying to figure out how to express your frustration to us that you don't open your ears. Yes, you are too busy thinking, 'I need to tell them how much I hate math!' 'I need to show how mad I am by scribbling on the paper.' 'I now need to use my eraser on the scribbles and tear my math paper at the same time.' 'Now I need to walk off in a huff.' So you see, Erin, you can do the math, you just need to slow down and take the time to learn how to do it right! Not everything in life is easy!" (As a father, I just had to throw that in!)
Erin just listened with a grin on her face and giggled when I got done.
She knows the truth when she hears it!