Parents' Corner
by
Johnny Jones

 Last week I didn't write this column.  This week I'm going to tell you why.

 I was on the floor with Bryan's tank, turning the switch on and off when he told me to, and putting it in position for another run at an obstacle.  I was changing the places of obstacles at Bryan's direction, and testing batteries that kept dying.   So was Chip, and so was Amy.

 Getting Bryan's tank to work became a two-person job in the last week of his project, when he needed it put on the floor in a certain position while he programmed the computer.  Whoever was on the floor had to tell him, "No, that's more than 900," or, "It's not quite a full circle yet."

 You see, until a week ago Thursday night, the thing wouldn't even work.

 I guess that was when I started praying about it.  "Lord," I said, "You know how many hours Bryan has put into that project - probably a couple hundred. Can't you help him figure it out so it can work?"  Because I surely couldn't help him.  I don't speak electronics.

 But God did.  We should have prayed sooner!

 I was able to help in other ways.  I was the go-fer.  Some of the things he needed were not easy to find:  chips, some barrier strips, pin-tip leads. I made one trip just for him - I knew he couldn't afford to wait any longer, because he'd been stuck so much, and he was running out of time.

 I felt so helpless when Bryan, after working awhile, would come down and say, "Mom, I'm stuck."

 "Well, isn't there anything else you can do on it?"  I would ask.

 "Nope.  Without the circuit board there's nothing to do.  And I don't know what's wrong," he would answer.  "I'm going to go shoot a few baskets."

 Later he would figure it out, and I would sigh relief - until the next time it happened.

 The really discouraging moments were when he would come down from his room after three hours, and I would ask, "How's it going up there?"

 "No good.  I had to rewire again.  I'm behind where I was when I started."

 There were at least twenty mistakes he made that cost him an average of thirty minutes each.  I just knew he would never get done in time.  It reminded me of when I make something that's really beyond my sewing ability, and I have to keep taking things out and stitching them again.  I admired his persistence.  I also got a new crop of grey hair.

 He swears this won't happen again.  Of course, that's what he said last year.  Now he's saying, "Wouldn't it be neat to build a robot?"

 Only after out house gets normallized will I discuss it.  There are tools all over the sun porch from building the display, there are junky-looking wires and things nameless to me on his desk, and my computer table is shoved over in the corner to give the tank more room to navigate.  Right now I don't want to talk about it.

 But you should have seen his happiness at winning first place at MAC yesterday.  He kept saying, "This is such a good day!"  That's what he said after we stayed up late Wednesday night to make the video tape that marked the end of work for his project.  Thursday all day, it was "This is such a good day!"  What joy!

 Is it worth it?  Yes!  Indeed, it is.  I like to see my children reach for something - doing something that is so hard they can barely handle it. It's by doing those things that are barely possible that we become all we can be.

 And truly, this was on the ragged edge of the possible for Bryan.  He has learned so much.  He has grown, not only intellectually, but spiritually. He believes more deeply now in the power of prayer.  He has grown in patience and persistence.

 Getting an award was really special.  But the real rewards are deeper and of more value than prizes ever could be.  And you know what?  That makes this such a good day!