David'd dad also lay awake thinking that night. He worried about his first born son. Over the last two years he had been too busy to give the boy the attention he needed. In earlier years he had been there for both David and Tommy. Not only to give them a swift swat on the rear when they needed it but to coach their little leage and soccer teams. His new job had put a stop to most of that. David was changing now, at 12 he was coming to the end of his childhood and starting his adolesence. He was afraid David was getting off on the wrong track.
Todays events showed that he was smoking cigarettees. His wife suspected that some off the new crowd of friends David had recently surrounded himself with were at least smoking dope, if not doing harder stuff. He thought back to his own youth. He had been a real _f_u_c_k_ up untill his dad finally beat some sense into him at the age off 16. While he was angry with his dad at the time, now looking back, he was very grateful. His dad had really saved his life. Granted David was a lot younger now than he was when his dad had pulled him around. He thought of all the crazy things he had done in his early teen years. Then he thought he was indestructible and immortal. There must have been an angel looking out for him. Otherwise one of his many stupid stunts at that age would have proved conclusively that he was dead wrong about that immortality thing.
No, he had to save David from the mistakes he had made in his youth. There was no guarantee that David would be as lucky as he was. Granted David had lived a much more sheltered life up until this point than he had. But it was time for him to teach David about making the right choices. time for him to learn that there are consequences for making the wrong choices. Time for hime to learn that there are rewards for making the right choices, especially those that are hard to make at the time.
He knew that the punishment he was imposing on David was disproportionate to the offense. But more important then the fight at school, or the cigarettees, or the bad language and disrespect for the teachers: this was a wake up call. This suspension had given him the chance to give David a rite of passage into the world of being a teenager. It was a world of more rights and responsibilities than he had as a child. However, David would have to prove himself. In doing so he would become a stronger, more self confident young man. A young man he could be proud of.
Rights and priviledges which are earned are valued far more than those which are granted to you. He resolved that he was going to do more for his son. He would invest the time to make his boy into a fine young man.
However, to build a great building, it is often nessicary to demolish that which stands in its place. David had been getting far to full of himself.
He knew that what he had planned would hurt Davids standing with his friends. This however, he saw as a good thing. It would help pull David away from that new crowd he had been hanging around with. His older friends, like Jeff, would understand. After this week, he would make sure that David was hanging out with the right sort of kids. He would insist that David get more involved with the church youth group. The right group of friends would lead to much more self esteem over the long run than an attempt to be in with the "cool crowd".
Before he was built up, he needed to be knocked down a few pegs. This week would be his initiation. He would learn that in the real world there are painful consequences if you don't do things right. To learn the value of self discipline, discipline would first have to be applied from the outside. To learn to lead others in life, first he would have to learn to follow obediently. A week of making him follow all instructions, no matter how, small or insignificant, to the letter. That would make sure that latter on he would be sure to follow instructions on the big stuff that really mattered.
He knew he was being harsh on the boy. This week had to start out that way. Yes, he would look for good behavior this week, he would try to find reasons for David to earn back his priviledges. But he couldn't grant them too easilly. David had to feel as if he EARNED then back. Early in the week he would have to keep his word about punishing any misbehavior, no matter how small. Latter on he could ease up... a little. Then next week end the process of rebuilding could begin in earnest.
He would have to do something special with David. Give him a taste of the highs to get him off of the lows of this week. There would have to be some sort of event to mark the end of this very tough week for David. He resolved to call in a bunch of favors and get two tickets to the basketball playoffs for Friday night. David would love that. Then, over the weekend, the two of them, just the two of them would go camping. He needed to tell David the stories of his youth. To tell him about his hopes and dreams and asperations for the boy.
Of course, he would have to keep all of this a secret until after this week was over. The basketball game and the camping trip would be a surprise. If he knew about it while the punishment week was going on it would ruin the effect of the week. No a surprise at the end of this week would make it all the more memorable. It would be something that tells him that he is really loved and cherished. It would tell him that his punishment is now all over and all is forgiven. He wanted David to remember the game, and more importantly the camping trip for the rest of his life. David had to remember the trip, there was to much important stuff he would tell him on it for him to forget it. This would be the trip on which he tried to explain to David what it ment to be a man. Coming at the end of this week it would forge a new and tighter bond between father and son. Years from now, he knew that David would thank him for this week and next weekend.
to be continued: