So can I do a little bragging about my kid?

[NNadir]

I will anyway, even without permission.

My oldest son graduated from a very good art school this week.

We knew he'd done very well and graduated with a 4.0 with a double major in two areas of art. We knew he'd won an award.

What we didn't anticipate was a group of his professors, including the Dean of the Visual Arts Department, gathering around us at the reception to let us, my wife, his aunt and I, know that they considered my son to be one of the best students ever to graduate from that institution, a few of them even telling us that they considered him a genius. Some of them complained that they didn't get enough enough time to work with him.

He really worked hard, slept little, always thought he was failing at it, because he was used to having a hard time in school, as in high school they treated him as though he was "intellectually impaired" and well, it is true that he's as neurotic as all hell.

I was so pleased to see him experience a little glory, since everyone in our family is always focused on his brother's achievements. (Really, what his brother has become is his doing, since he was a great big brother who treated his little brother like an intellectual equal almost from the get go, even though he was nearly four years older.)

I don't really understand the artist's life, since I'm not an art person, but damn! I'm one proud Papa!

[tblue37]

1. K&R for your incredible son! Congratulations! nt. nt

[blm]

2. Happy for you and your family

Your joy is palpable.....DU palpable. ; )

[Arkansas Granny]

3. Congratulations to your son. I'm happy that his hard work was recognised.

[fierywoman]

4. What your wrote made me very, very happy to read. Congrats! Thanking you for

spreading joy.

[lapucelle]

5. This is so nice to hear.

Congratulations to him and to you as well for treating your kids as individuals, each wonderful in his own way.

[htuttle]

6. It's awesome that you support your right-brained son!

(not that I hold hard and fast to the whole right-brain/left-brain thing, but it's handy metaphor)

It's hard being the artistic one in a family full of scientists, and vice versa.

Let's hear it for all the thinkers!

[sprinkleeninow]

7. May he experience many years of success and fulfillment.

[skylucy]

8. That is awesome!

[Doodley]

9. Congratulations. I hope that we can get to see his art. It sounds as though he is gifted, and what a

a gift you have with both boys. You deserve to brag.

[CaliforniaPeggy]

10. My dear NNadir!

Congratulations! Your pride is palpable and totally appropriate!

[brer cat]

11. Congratulations to your talented son!

You should be a proud Papa!

[kimbutgar]

12. Congrats to you and your wife for supporting him.

Good parents make good students and good productive successful citizens.

[mountain grammy]

13. Brag away! Congratulations to your son!

And to the proud papa!

[CentralMass]

14. Congratulations NNadir. The pride rhat you take in your sons speaks volumes.

[StevieM]

15. Congratulations to your son for his remarkable achievement.

And congratulations to your family on one of your own soaring a little higher today.

I can picture you as your son's professors came to you with their words of praise. It is a very nice image.

[Wheezy]

16. What a great story. Congratulations!

[Duppers]

17. Awesome son.

I'd brag too.

[Mersky]

18. Congratulations!

Thank you for sharing this momentous day, and yes, bragging is in order - we sure do need artists and scientists more than ever. It's wonderful they both excelled in their interests.

[TeamPooka]

19. share some of his art if you can

[appalachiablue]

20. Wonderful accomplishment, congrats. What styles does he favor?

Art history person here.

[Kablooie]

21. Congratulations! Can you post some samples of his work?

[JoeOtterbein]

22. Nope, because would never do such a thing on DU. Opps, I meant to say, I always brag about Holly:

https://www.politico.com/story/2019/05/17/bernie-sanders-mystery-soviet-video-revealed-1330347

Bernie's mystery Soviet tapes revealed
Unseen by the public for three decades, a POLITICO reporter views hours of footage from his 1988 'honeymoon' to the USSR.

By HOLLY OTTERBEIN 05/17/2019 02:01 PM EDT

snip

Love all my babies!

[murielm99]

23. Congrats!

[JustFiveMoreMinutes]

24. Wow very nice... may he find the success he's worked so hard for!

Remind him tho... school is one thing...life is another.

A Big Fish in a Small Pond.. may take just a little time and extra effort to grow into the bigger Pond!

Just never say never and make each day a step forward!

Kudos to all AND the proud Papa!

[Hortensis]

25. Fabulous, and wow. What sort of art is he doing?

[Cousin Dupree]

26. Brag away! Nothing better than seeing your child happy and successful!

[NNadir]

27. THANKS TO EVERYONE FOR THEIR CONGRATULATIONS!

I really didn't expect such a large response to a little bragging on my part, But I appreciate all your kind words and good wishes for my son.

He's heading off to England on a travel grant award they gave, but when he returns, I'll ask him to catalog and photograph all these paintings and ask him to post them somewhere. We have some hung around the house of course, and many others piled in places, but in the intensity of his work, he wasn't great about putting the paintings in electronic format.

His other major, besides painting was design, book covers, posters, and computer art and much of it may be difficult to share.

But I really, really, really appreciate all of your really good will from the bottom of my heart.

[blueinredohio]

28. Congratulations to you and your family. You should be proud.

If I had a child who did that I would brag too.

[DFW]

29. You have every right to be proud

Go ahead and brag to your heart's content! It sounds like you have every reason to do so.

[femmocrat]

30. Congratulations to him and to you!

I would love to see some of his work.

I taught art in public schools for decades and found so many times that the best art students were not the straight-A honor roll kids. I always loved the “misfits” (not implying that was your son’s case) who found expression through their art. I actually had a student who was in learning support classes who went on to become an art teacher! So proud.

[NNadir]

31. My son experienced lots of "learning support" classes in his elementary and high school career.

He was often required to take classes like "social skills," etc, that he actually hated, because they had nothing to do with his life, since besides being very smart, he is one of the kindest, most ethical, and supportive persons I have ever met.

I finally understood by third grade that his "problem" was dyslexia. I did a lot of research on the topic in the primary scientific literature, and tried as patiently as I could, to explain what dyslexia was and what it involved, and in doing this research - since I learned that dyslexia is genetic - I understood finally my entire family history.

Unfortunately, the school district at that time did not have a "dyslexia" program and they "offered" to classify him as having "Asperger's Syndrome" so he "could get services," an "offer" we firmly refused.

After a while I just wanted them to leave him alone. I did agree to have him meet with a "reading specialist" who was very experienced, nearing retirement, and as mean as hell, who told me that she didn't give a rat's ass about dyslexia and its definition, but that after she was done with him he would read. She scared the hell out of me (and my son), but she was right. After she was done with him he could read, and to this day he's an avid reader.

Nevertheless, throughout almost all of the rest of his career in public schools, he was assigned to classes with other students who were autistic, who had severe brain damage, or severe emotional problems until finally, as a miracle, they realized in the 11th grade that he really didn't have any severe disabilities other than dyslexia.

In the 11th grade, he met a great art teacher who inspired him, decided (against my private wishes which I didn't express to him) to become an artist, went to a community college with a great art program, and as a result of his development there, was admitted to the school from which he just graduated - to which he would not have been accepted to without the community college experience - where few of his courses transferred, requiring him to pretty much to almost start over, and just graduated as described. During this time, although he was not taking any sculpture courses, he interned with a well known and successful sculptor who thought highly of him.

He traveled a long, hard road, which makes all this all that much sweeter.

I have the feeling that you are like that great art teacher he had in the 11th grade, and you have a lot to be proud of as well.

[femmocrat]

39. You are too kind.

Thanks for sharing your son’s journey with us. And proud that there were a couple of teachers who helped him along the way.

[lillypaddle]

32. Wow, that's really something

I'm even beaming with pride myself. Congrats to him and all of you! Well done.

[sellitman]

33. Watching our kids succeed rocks.

Nothing better in life IMHO

Today I walk my daughter down the aisle. It's a special day here too.

Congrats.

[NNadir]

34. Well congratulations are in order for you as well. Congrats to you and your daughter!

[Pepsidog]

35. Now just get Steve Mnuchin's Dad to buy some art from him!!

[defacto7]

36. I bid you a heartfelt congratulations.

I would never expect to hear a word short of brilliance with regard to your boys considering the blazing intellect of their father. These will be world changing human beings I do believe.

My best to you all!

D7

[Kurt V.]

37. Congratulations 👍

[JudyM]

38. That is no ordinary, polite enthusiasm you witnessed from his profs.

I hope you treasure and relive those moments the rest of your lives. What a high point, and congrats to him for putting in the effort that paid off.