While this youth exchange was Aaron's original idea and while he has been instrumental in seeing it come to fruition, I must admit that it has been his father and me that at many times have kept the wheels turning. Whether it has been reminding him to send out thank you notes for the financial gifts he has received or encouraging him to start his own blog and begin making posts, we've had to resort to being the nagging parents. It is not a role we relish.
Now as the number of days continue to shrink between now and departure, we find a number of items needing action. For Aaron, multi-tasking has not always been a strong ability. While capable of multi-tasking, it is not his comfort area. I remember so many times while he was growing up, I would ask him to do a small chore around the house. While he was still in the midst of accomplishing that assignment, I would inform him of what I would like him to do next. It was not unusual for me to hear, "Wait. First you told me to do this. Now you want me do that. Which do want???" Of course the the mother in me had a simple answer for that: "Both." But from his perspective, both could not be done at the same time so I was asking the impossible.
Last week a similar situation arose. He knows he needs to be assembling and mailing out over 40 thank you notes from graduation gifts. He also needs to really focus on learning Slovakian. Somewhere in the midst he is supposed to be working on a major research project on his host country. Also, his sponsoring district wants him to make two blog entries per week. Add on top of that his daily life of working four days a week, playing hockey one evening a week, attending church, attending Rotary meetings, and having some summer fun with friends....well you get a pretty overwhelming picture for an 18 year old young man trying to juggle life.
(Photo by Tim Evanson/Royal Hanneford Circus - Westchester NY)
When I approached him how he was coming with the thank you notes and the foreign language, his response was much like it had been as a boy. "What do you want me to do???" Whether he said it out loud or implied it, the message was he couldn't do both at once. I turned to him and asked, "Haven't you heard of multi-tasking? You're going to need to learn." The conversation did not end well. In an uncharacteristic move, I lost patience, turned away from him, and said as I parted, "Fine. Get overseas and don't know how to ask where the bathroom is. See if I care."
After we both had time to cool off, I returned to that part of the house about 20 minutes later. He informed me he had taken the time to look at the website I had recommended. It is called Language Exchange Community. A week later, he pointed out he was making progress on the website in making a connection with someone, AND he was also still working on his thank you notes. "So I see you're multi-tasking?!" I said. "Yes," he replied. We had a bit of a victory celebration.
I must now admit a confession. Not having to assist in keeping the wheels moving is something this mother is looking forward to. I am also very hopeful that by being away from Mom and Dad for ten months our son will learn a way to self motivate and prioritize projects. While I realize multi-tasking can be a good skill to have, it is also equally or even more important to know what to focus on and when. Rotarians assure us our son will come back a different person. May this be one of those differences!
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