Is your child an under-achiever in school?

I have four children; two are my step-children.  Three of them did very well in school, the two oldest especially.  Our youngest did OK but as the years progressed his interest waned significantly and his marks reflected his lack of motivation.  I always believed in him though and as he approached the end of public school and displayed other talents that could not be assigned a grade on a report card, my faith that he would do well later on was strengthened.

Before Marc graduated from high school he announced to us that he wanted to be a bartender .  We were fine with that.  He had a goal and we knew there would be a lot of job opportunities for him.  We’ve always wanted our kids to follow their own path anyway, not ours. A year ago Marc got a job in a semi high end restaurant doing what’s called “expo”; a term I had never heard of.  Basically he checks all the plates before they’re served to customers to ensure they have everything on them that’s supposed to be there.  Later he began working as a porter in the bar as well as doing expo.  He helps the bartender which I was surprised to learn, brings him on average $100 in tips a night!  He’s maintained his enthusiasm for his job and hasn’t lost sight of his intention to become a bartender.  His managers are all well aware of his goals and now that he’s 19 he can start serving which is the first step.  

This past weekend we attended a big 60th birthday party of a family friend.  They had invited around 65 people and asked Marc if he would be interested in running the bar.  He was thrilled to say the least.  By the time we got to the party he was well into his bartending duties and seemed to be handling things very well.  As the night progressed I couldn’t help but notice how poised he was and how well he handled himself with so many people.  He was solely responsible for serving drinks to all the guests.  I didn’t once see him flustered.  Many people commented to me that he was “a natural”. 

Bartending may be a short term career for Marc or it might be something he does for a long time.  I don’t know.  What I do know is my instincts about his abilities were right.  He’s going to be just fine.  He has qualities that can’t be learned in school. 

I’ve blogged about Marc’s lack of motivation in school before.  This is a follow-up story now that he’s been out of school a year.  I’m one proud mom!!