The son who wears button-down shirts with graph paper motifs knew he wanted to be an inventor when he was four years old, and he is on a course to be a Research and Development engineer.

The daughter who cheerfully cut a tick’s head out of my husband’s neck with a scalpel is heading off to nursing school this fall.

Barnaby, my 16yo son, has not staked his claim on any one dream. He is distracted and not particularly interested in declaring his major. However, while waiting to figure it out, he has decided he wants to be a jerk. If he can’t be a soda-jerk (the town soda fountain already has all the jerks it needs) he’ll do the next best thing–he’ll work at the local diner.

Chester’s Country Girl Diner was vacant for a while and we missed it.  This winter it was purchased by a Maryland family with local ties and it has been open for breakfast and lunch for over a week now.  One afternoon this week we came in for a milk shake. As he sat there he listened to the Forties music and then turned to me with a grin to say, “This is my kind of place!” We introduced ourselves and then thrust our boy on ’em. They don’t know what they are in for. He was created to entertain people.  He knows how work, too!

A family just starting out on a venture like this isn’t in a position to offer work for a significant number of youths in a small town, but he is volunteering his time, so it’s all good.  After he has learned the ropes and the college kids go back to school he may be able to earn money for college. Foliage and ski season traffic will keep them hopping and he will have the opportunity to learn hard work, especially since he’ll have to juggle his studies around a work schedule.

I hope he gets that vision for his future that eludes him now, but in the meantime we will enjoy his adventures and come along for the ride. Vanilla milkshake, anyone?