Monday, March 29, 2010

Quality of Character

There's been a lot said over the last week about quality and content of blogs. Hopefully we have all agreed that quality and content mean different things to different people. I don't need to go over what those of us at WOW hope to see our tribe and WOW become.

What I want to share are my thoughts about another kind of quality.....quality of character. And remember, I never promised not to write about family occasionally, so here we go.

Pam wrote a very interesting post about her daughter Katie the other day. For anyone who hasn't caught on, Pam and I are related. Katie is Paul's and my granddaughter.

Throughout high school, Katie has been involved in several organizations geared towards business and preparing students for a career in business, and she has done well. I'm not going to rewrite Pam's post but I want to tell you about a fundraiser Paul and I attended last week to raise money for water filters in Cambodia. The fundraiser was held at Katie's high school, and she was responsible for its planning and presentation. Although admittedly a little biased, I cannot say enough about how well done this event was.

The event which was attended by about 150 people involved a catered meal, entertainment, raffles and a presentation about the program and organization that provides the water filters. Katie also emceed the event. Did I mention that Katie is 17 years old?

She often spends the weekend with Paul and me. There's not much that makes us happier than to have her call and ask, "Can I come stay this weekend?" Last December we were invited to a friend's house for a holiday party on one of those weekends. Katie came with us. As we introduced her to several people, all adults, she said hello, reached out and shook their hands. When was the last time you saw that?

Let me tell you, Katie is not a nerd (whatever that is, but you get my drift). She's a normal teenager with friends, goes to proms, dances and parties and who has gone through her own teen angst. But she is becoming a very interesting young woman.

At the party she sat with us in a group of adults and contributed to the conversation. She's usually quiet, not one of those kids who needs to be the center of attention, but she spoke when she had something to add to the conversation. She was involved, not one of those sullen teens who sits in the corner plugged into their iPod and texting.

So what was my point here? Even though I'd like to say Katie is one in a million (to us she is) I'm really saying hopefully she's not. I have met several of her friends, and they all seem to have similar talents and quality of character.

So despite being known to think or say "Kids these days!" I am feeling a little more encouraged that if these are the young people who are going to be in charge in the future, maybe we'll be okay after all.

11 comments:

Wanda..... said...

You have every reason to be proud of your granddaughter Katie! It is reassuring to hear stories of admirable young people. My granddaughter Amanda was selected by her college to spend 6 weeks this summer in Ireland, volunteering at the Quaker Cottage, a charitable place for helping displaced families.

It's nice to have granddaughters that make us smile!

Sultan said...

Your granddaughter sounds like a nice young woman. I do think that human nature does not change much and that in the end all generations of young people are more or less the same. I am not sure whether that is comforting or not.

~Kristen~ said...

Hering stories about teens like your granddaughter gives me hope, because, I have to admit, most teens and kids I come across most definitely do NOT, sad to say. It is refreshing and heartening to know there really are good kids out there, with good families behind them, making the most of their intelligence and talents! You and Pam and your family have every reason to be enormously proud!!! I have to get over to Pam's blog now to read more!

Crone and Bear It said...

I love it when people write such positive reaffirming posts about their family members and your grandaughter sounds like a wonderful young woman. I can't say I was doing anything that useful at 17 except hanging around my hippie friends. Kids today have more ambition and a sense of wanting to help this world become a better place and that makes me very happy as it helps offset what a useless teenager I was - LOL - thanks for sharing this great story with us Sandy. Hugs and blessings!

"Cottage By The Sea" said...

My son Cooper is exactly the same way. He has impeccable manners and an easy charm that makes people feel immediately comfortable. He never needs to be the center of attention yet, everyone always remembers him. He goes out of his way to say hi to even the parents of his friends when he sees them when we are out. I can completely understand feeling encouraged by these kinds of kids that, we have hope for our future, since often times, especially out in public, one sees so many kids acting anything but classy. Congratulations on having one you can be proud of and thanks to whomever raised her up to be such a fine young woman!

Debby@Just Breathe said...

So true, there are allot of young girls who are doing it right and we should be very proud of them. I have a great-niece who is awesome.
I do believe it helps to have strong parents and grandparents to lead them along in their growth.

Thoughtfully Blended Hearts said...

You have what we all strive for "children and grandchildren who are decent human beings"...we can't ask for anything more!!!

Debbie said...

You are right. There are quite a few great young people out there. And if there are some bad ones, mostly it is not their fault - parents let them down by not helping them to become great people.

Melissa B. said...

I concur with you wholeheartedly! As a high school English teacher, I see so much goodness in kids these days. I really do believe that the good kids outweight the bad apples...

Midlife Roadtripper said...

I am fortunate to meet many fine young people. I hear good things about my own - they shake hands and look adults in the eye. So happy you are proud of Katie. So glad she had grandparents near that should could call and spend her time visiting. And wanted to. You are very lucky.

MissKris said...

I read Pam's entry about Katie and, after reading yours too, I know why she's such a great young woman and achiever...because of such a wonderful support system behind her and a lot of love! That in itself is a great motivator for a lot of kids. What touching tributes! I hope my grandboys will call me later on in life and ask if they can come spend the weekend, too! You and Paul are very lucky.

 

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