A Good Kid

I'm so pleased to be 14-year-old Neil's mother.

He got home from school a half hour ago and volunteered to use the snow blower to clear our driveway and his grandparents'. (My in-laws live in the downstairs apartment within our home; they have a separate driveway.) After a quick phone consultation with Ed, who had just left for his evening job, about Neil's capabilities with the snow blower, I consented.

Neil safely backed our old car out of the driveway and parked it perfectly parallel with the curb, then competently plowed the driveway. Then he pulled the car back in. Next, knowing better than to take risks with his grandparents' two vehicles, he left them where they sat in their driveway and plowed a path from the grandparents' door and down their driveway to the street. He even went next door, without my suggesting it, and offered to plow—for no charge—the driveway of our friend, a woman who moved here after having grown up in Hong Kong and whom we suspect doesn't own a snow shovel. She, not being aware of my gangly guy's prowess with the snow blower, thanked him but turned down his offer, mostly likely concerned about the safety of the rental car sitting in her driveway.

When he came back into the house, I told him that I was very pleased with him. He said, "I just feel like I should help other people out [by using the snow blower] because it's more snow blower than we really need."

Good kid.



parenting teenager Neil generosity snow removal EditorMom