View from The Corner Booth   

Good day to all!

Last week I wrote about my son Derek who overall is a great kid. Last Wednesday night after the Celtics suffered their second defeat to the Miami Heat, Derek went out to his car and fell asleep.We had a few anxious moments looking for him at 12:30 in the morning. I promised I would tell you why Derek left the house and went to his car in the yard. He is the ultimate Boston Celtics fan and was very distraught with the outcome of Game 2  and simply went out to get some space, without the intent of falling asleep and staying out there.

Your responses were overwhelming and I do appreciate all the words of wisdom and for your support of what it is like being a parent of a teenager. Many said it would be much better once he went off to college and a couple of readers said to watch out, it'll be even worse the next four years! I heard about many of your experiences with your children and it's amazing how similar they all are.  

I had one reader ask me why Derek got grounded for the next day, thinking the situation did not warrant any type of punishment. I still contend there was something wrong with  having to look for my high school senior at 12:30 in the morning when he had left a half hour earlier with no mention of where he might be going. I grew up in a household where my Dad was very firm, consistent and always showed us a lot of love. I'm just doing the same. It worked for us kids so I'm going to give it a shot on my kids. I must tell you other than a couple of small hiccups, and a couple of moments with bad attitudes, all has gone pretty well. Nothing like a day to think about your actions and how it may affect others. I think if you talked to my three kids (well one is really an adult now) they would tell you they appreciate the way I handle situations. We all like to know where we stand and it's the "gray area" that gets us into trouble. So let's keep it "black and white" and we can all move on with smiles on our faces.

This past Saturday I took the two boys and we went to deBree Portraits in Portland to have a one hour photo shoot for Father's Day. I would encourage any and all of you to professionally capture different times in your lives. To visit deBree Portraits website Click Here   

Photo from Norm's camera 

 Photo from Priscilla's camera 

This past Saturday night we served 140 people at the annual Erskine Academy Alumni Dinner. The event was held in the Erskine gym and everything went off without a hitch, thanks to Ralph Arbour and his wife Valerie and to Sharon Brunette, Food Service Director at Erskine. Several students volunteered their time to assist in the serving and the clean up at the event. 

  Erskine Alumni Dinner 

The big day is coming up for all you Dads. It is not as big a day in the restaurant business as Mother's Day, but you are all welcome and we will make every effort to spoil you!  

Hope to see you at the Dine-ah,

Norm