Planners Are a Waste of Time and Space

...and other gems of knowledge courtesy of one 12-year-old boy.

Sometimes I forget he is only 12, a child, in every sense of the word. He was born into a world of teenagers. His two oldest siblings were 15 and 14 when he was born. Just about the time they left the teen world, the next two were 15 and 13. He always thought that he, too, should be a teenager. Their lives looked so glamorous and free. They could have jobs and driver's licenses. They could go wherever they wanted and buy fast food all the time. They always had cool friends around and cool stuff to do. He felt it was an unfortunate quirk of nature that he was sent to earth so much later than all of them.

Now he has just six months to wait before he, too, can finally join the teen world. Ironically, just three months before his birthday, his last sibling will turn 20. He will be a teenager, yes, but he will be the only one. At 12, he is perfectly delightful. I love it when he does something to remind me that he is still a kid, such as recently when he brought home his first quarter report card from 7th grade. Excitedly, I looked at his grades: 7 A's and 1 F. Yep, you read that right. He got solid A's, without so much as an A-, in every class but one. Which class was that? Homeroom. Indeed, they give a grade in homeroom (either an A or an F), and he failed it. How does one pass homeroom? By filling out a planner with all one's assignments and due dates.

Mom: Seth, why didn't you fill out your planner, so you could pass homeroom and get all A's?

Seth (With the disdain that only a 12-year-old can muster): Planners are a waste of time and space.

He proceeded to explain that he ALWAYS knows what his assignments are in every class and how long he has to complete them and when they are due. He has never missed an assignment. Therefore, wasting time writing them down in a little booklet is the stupidest idea anyone has ever dreamed up.

Next came the discussion about how sometimes in life we have to do things that seem stupid, even a waste of time, etc. because they are required, and sometimes we have to simply follow procedures so that we can achieve the result we want, and blah, blah, blah. I gave it my best. I really did. But remember all those teenagers he grew up with, the ones he worships, the ones he idolizes, the ones he has wanted to emulate his entire life? Well, one of them is now 21 and lives right here in this house. His initials are "Isaiah Erichsen." He chimed right in and informed my impressionable pre-teen that grades in middle school mean absolutely nothing in the grand scheme of life, so there is no reason to waste time filling out a worthless planner.

Game over. I lose. Whatever.

Have I mentioned that I love this 12-year-old? He is so much fun. A couple nights ago, Gerald and I convinced him go to with us to Temple Square to see the lights. We conveniently "forgot" to mention that we would be watching some choirs perform Christmas music at the visitors' center. Ha! I'm afraid poor Matt was the recipient of the desperate text messages during these performances, complaining about how he might die of boredom. As we left Temple Square and passed by the Tabernacle, he exclaimed "Oh no! Tell me we're not going in there. That is the hottest place in the universe." He was remembering his last visit to Temple Square. I won't retell that tale, but you can read about it here if you wish.

And with one quick photo amidst the falling snow, we were off...

 Blessed we are indeed to have a 12-year-old, so that we may be enlightened with the knowledge that planners are a waste of time and space.