About Character
My first born son had a decent enough life. His mom and I struggled but we took care of his basic needs. By the time of my second child, I was a lawyer, his mom was a lawyer, so he enjoyed the privileges of a much better lifestyle. He went to a very expensive private school, had the nicest clothes; we lived in a beautiful house, etc. We turned out a well-spoken, well mannered, courteous and an all around pleasure.
I am probably of the second generation of the Puerto Rican diaspora. Some of my brothers and sisters who came from the island later in life are third generation and their kids are 4th generation. We all at some point landed in rough and tumble urban centers up North. Anyway, I think what happened was that my son and I spent a Fourth of July weekend with my relatives in Sarasota. Me with my siblings and he with his cousins.
Whatever. I got a call after coming back from our holiday that our son had been suspended from school. It seems he had smacked another student. My wife and I were both in shock. She was also concerned as she sat on the board for this ritzy school. She protocolled the mother of the student, intending to apologize for our son and to fix whatever the hell was next. She rejected our proposed apology. Instead, she apologized. Her son had confessed to her that he had been picking on my son all year and that apparently my son had had enough of it. I don't know where that kid is these days but he has a lot of character. It's easy to blame others for the things you've done or that you've encouraged.
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