Happy Birthday to my Son.

A Parent sees a son through  so many ups and downs, it's true,  Through all the years until he's finally grown.  It starts with tender lullabies,  Then school, then proms--the time just flies...  And far too soon he's off and on his own.  His future holds so much in store,  And nothing's like it was before,  The change is sometimes hard to comprehend...  Son, My world's a wondrous place because your in it,  Your friendship is my most treasured one  Thank You for all the joy and all the laughter  And thank you for the love you've given me  My wish for you today and ever-after  Is that these blessings will be returned abundantly.                                                                     
   You're more than a son~you're a good friend as well~and I love you so very much.  Happy Birthday, Son

A concern as a parent....

The use of standardized test scores as a proxy for actual intelligence is a lazy, misguided, classist and culturally discriminatory tactic that makes the jobs of policymakers easier at the expense of the future of our children. That said, kids these days are more jaw-droppingly stupid than ever before. We're getting it from all sides.  America as a nation just got its SAT scores, and ugh...

Average scores on the SAT fell across the nation this year, with the reading score for the high school class of 2011 falling three points to 497, the lowest on record, according to a report Wednesday by the College Board, which administers the exams.The average writing score dropped two points, to 489, and the math score was down one point, to 514.

Yes, it's true that more speakers of English as a second language are taking the test than ever before, and it's true that the persistent racial disparities in the test results are indicative of a fatal structural flaw, and it's true that the simultaneous drop in overall scores coupled with an increase in very high scores is part and parcel of the ongoing bifurcation of America into separate and unequal camps of haves and have-nots.

We don't give a shit. Go to your room. And read a fucking book, for once. If we hear you "txting" up there, we swear to god. We swear to god.