Ryan is a high school sophomore. Working his butt off in a school like a good Asian kid should, while also trying to make a run at DIII soccer. Looking back, the COVID years really cost him but he's making a hard run at it and we'll see. As parents, Frances and I are trying to find the optimal balance of keeping the pressure on Ryan but at the same time, giving him breathing room and letting him find his own way in life. While a lot has changed, some things remain the same. The boy is still the happiest kid we know, who bounces back from bad test scores, losing soccer games, and getting yelled at so quickly that we often wonder how he does it. He doesn't get too high on things, which sometimes drives this type A dad nuts, but it also means he never gets too low. Never change, my dear son!
Riley is a 7th grader. He was always the more prickly one and definitely the one who we thought would be more difficult. And, yeah, that's been the case. He gets annoyed easily, has a super strong personality and has an insatiable desire to win. But, he's still a sweet kid, even though he probably gets in trouble more than Ryan ever did at this age. He seems bright enough, but whereas Ryan always had an impeccable work ethic, I think we're still keeping an eye on Riley... he seems to coast through school and his grades are great, but we wonder whether he needs to be pushed harder. Where Riley has excelled is as a golfer. He figured out early on that he really enjoyed the sport and didn't mind grinding... we'll see how far he can take it, but this past weekend, he won his first tournament from 6500 as a newly minted 13-yo and actually shot better than everyone else, including from the 15 - 18 age group!
Ah, and I'd be remiss not to mention that Frances still loves her pie and chocolate cake. And if you get in the way of her getting either when she really wants it, you better watch out.
Maybe I'll try to keep this updated a bit better going forward...
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