The Very Busy Teenager

Years ago, we gave D1 that nickname, based upon one of her beloved children's books, "The Very Busy Caterpillar." D1 had a ton of school work in high school, and added to that a bunch of clubs and other activities.

Well, D2 continues in the same tradition. It seems every time I observe her in the house, she's at work on some school project or another.

Times have really changed. I did very well in high school, but don't remember ever having that much homework. Occasionally there was some big project, but that was the exception. I discussed it recently with my friend Ken, who moved here last year. Ken was the smartest kid on our school (his wife Joelle, a Stuyvesant High grad, says that being the top scholar at a Levittown school was like being the tallest of the midgets), and he doesn't remember working that hard, either.

Of course, D2 is taking 4 AP classes, which are college level, so that explains it.

In addition, she has dance practice for a charity program, and other clubs and activities. On top of that, she has SAT tutoring, as well as math tutoring. I really admire her.

Last night, I had dinner with Dr. Barry, whose oldest son Scott is in 6th grade. Barry tells me that Scott is really being worked hard, too. Barry is a math whiz, and spent over 1/2 hour working on a geometry problem with his son. What happens to the kid who DOESN'T have a M.D. or engineer for a parent?

Scott, at the age of 12, is already stressed with school. Scott is in the gifted program, and Barry wonders whether this is such a good thing, in the long run.

Meanwhile, D2 DOES make time for friends and fun, but she does so with a maturity that's really astounding. My father in law says she's "like a soldier" in her responsibilities.

So -- rock on, D2! Hopefully a year hence we'll be celebrating her acceptance to her first college choice, and all of this work will have been worth it.