monster! Did you know you had these great genetics?

She is. And her eyes are burning :( (it was a home meet)

no idea. beest and I are doughy lumps...... We just put them in water from birth becasue I got freaked out about all the toddler drowning stories and didn't swim brilliantly myself...... (I wanted water births, but ended up with c-sections)

And your daughter's been subconciously trying to correct that ever since! (Hector too, he's just gone with frozen water... And Thor, well, ah, he makes messes that have to be cleaned up with water, right? ;))

Well? How did it go??

Well ... long story short, since I am nowhere near as gifted as others here with written communication.
I did zero prep. I had five bullet points written down. I was the 4th speaker - immediately following the First Lady
(who was VERY nice). We also got to meat the Attorney General, Jim Whelan and a few other prominent politicians.
The first speakers had professionally prepared speeches . They were well thought out and well practiced. I was wingin' it.
They also happened to discuss 3 of my 5 points before I even got to the podium.
I was nervous as hell - this wasn't a normal group for me. There were about 50 people and I knew many of them.
I got up there and halfway through my speech noticed that the parents of the "other boy" (the ones who are suing my son)
were in attendance. Fukkin assholes.

I got emotional a couple times and had to pause - not a rare occurrence for me.
Anyway, I finished really strong and there were many in the audience reaching for tissues.
I got a rousing applause from the crowd.
Unfortunately, the woman that followed was as exiting as dry white toast. :(
Many people came up to us afterward to congratulate me and meet my son. He got a great photo-op with the First Lady.
She was shaking his hand and he just gave her a nice hug. She was genuinely moved.
Funny part is that the security detail protecting her got pretty nervous. Gotta love the meatheads.

Suing your son? I must have missed that. Jesus Christ that's cold.

Well done to you though, sounds like your piece went just fine. And well done to your lad too. What a brilliant kid to try and bring something positive out of what happened to him. You must be so proud of him.

*hugs to both*

@ Monstah: Expect we'll be seeing your lass in the 2016 Olympics then aye? :)

thanks Dana, I'm extremely proud of him right now.

Yeah, we never got that part of the story, that I know of. Was this a friend in the same car, or another person in a different vehicle? No pressure to discuss it if you don't want to, was just curious. I'm proud of everything your son has chosen to do with his new path in life, and I'm proud of you for supporting him in all the ways you do, especially the not-public ones. You're a good dad, classic.

I think Class shared that part with me off board. I think sometimes we don't understand all the pressure on him and his kid. Good on you Classic.

thanks guys. Yeh the other boy ...
/backstory/ the one that drove my son to the party and subsequently got kicked out after a fight with the young man who hosted the party ... over a girl and then woke my son up and told my son to drive because he was "too drunk" to do so.
He suffered a minor concussion and was released from the hospital after 2 days.
He went back to school that fall, played football, lacrosse and hockey. He graduated and went to college where he is doing well. /end backstory/
... is now suing my son for PERMANENT physical, emotional and mental "damage."

Anyway, my son and I made it into a local newspaper and our message was spread.
Trying to focus on the good.
thanks again. We have about 15 speeches set up in the next 2 months. Its gonna be a busy prom season for us.

I'm sorry classic. There is certainly enough to deal with. But you and your son are doing good things and I think that's wonderful.

Thanks.
The family has turned into assholes. OR - - - we didn't realize they were assholes until now.
I speak not only for my family, but many others as well.
They've done some other really bizarre things unrelated to this.
The mother is definitely certifiable.

On the other hand, I've learned that even a moment of MY time spent on them has been wasted.
I don't have the desire nor the energy for them. Thats what asshole lawyers are for.
I have given ours enough ammo to sink them 50 times over.
They will not benefit from this - one way or the other.

The

Fuuuuuuuuckkk????