Ya Gotta Believe It

Belief is the connection, but you do have to check it against reality.

A shared belief in the hapless to hopes-pewing Philadelphia Phillies can tie a father and son, no matter how much it scares the father that he might be scarring the son.

The conviction of two that men can act lighter than air can be part of the passion that a father danseuer passes on to his son, just as Tomm Ruud has passed along his ballet costumes down to son Christopher.

But a guiding, unquestioning faith that your son is smarter than his teacher (or really anyone and everyone) is a path to problems, particularly if you aren't willing to listen to evidence to the contrary. It is beautiful to consider the father who will pop the teacher who says his son wasn't up to a particular mental challenge, but it seems unlikely the father has really made things better for his son.

Yes, ya gotta believe, but as a father you still have to be smart about it.