儿子的田径训练如火如荼，差不多每天都有，每天回家都是一身的汗，一身的沙子。人家爱玩，老爸老妈总得尽为人父母的责任，每天下班了就得跑腿。这不，老妈看老爸一个人实在忙不过来，只好决定调整自己的上班时间，争取和老爸的上班时间错开，帮老爸一把。
虽然知道儿子没有运动的基因，抱着儿子多运动才有希望摆脱老爸“三级残废”的遗憾，回上海当“搬运工”时能超过上海丈母娘们悄悄留在门框上的那个标记的梦想，老爸老妈使出浑身解数，花钱出力，企盼着，憧憬着。。。
晴天霹雳呀！周五收到田径教练的email:你儿子上周二的法文课拿了个F,下个礼拜二的田径训练和比赛取消！
打印好教练的email,周五回家就审问了：What's wrong with you? French, F!
儿子一脸的迷惑：Impossible！ I just got an A for last quarter. 他自己看了看教练的email,马上上网去查自己的成绩去了。
五分钟后终于找到了原因：My French teacher's record showed that I did not submit my homework on Tuesday. However, I did it!
老爸知道儿子虽然messy,但家庭作业还是很少有错过的。所以，就顺水推舟地把这个推给了老师和教练：This is not my problem. This is yours. You better talk to your French teacher, and then communicate with your coach.
儿子比老爸还着急，马上就给法文老师写email。一个小时后田径训练前还上网看老师回没回，当训练完了又再次查看。老爸看他可怜，就说：It is Friday. Don;t expect your teacher check her email on weekend.
礼拜六，老妈加班，留下儿子和老爸shopping。在Sam's Club，儿子被在那里巧舌如簧，“练摊”卖刀的saleman吸引住了。父子俩站那里听完了全程，儿子居然也被打动了，催老爸花了50块钱买回来一套据说值两百的厨房刀具。儿子说：The salesman is a great speaker. He talk so smoothly, fast but clearly for everybody to understand.
老爸趁热打铁：You can practice your skill on Monday, too. Just be sweet to your teacher and coach. To your French teacher, you should show your honesty, telling her that you have never missed any homework assignment in school and you clearly remember you submitted on Tuesday. However, if she insists that you did not, then, you should offer to re-do it and get some credit out of it. Keep in mind that if you get 0 point out of the assignment, you need ten 100-point assignments to make an A for your overall grade. If you get 50 points out of the assignment, you
礼拜一，儿子从学校回来，开心地说： I spoke to my French teacher, and she found my missing homework assignment. 等田径训练回来，给老爸说：I explained to my coach about what happened in my French class. On Tuesday, I can go to training, but not the contest since it is too late to add my name in.
一个F, 儿子从中体会到自己家庭作业和与老师打交道的重要，也算是不错的结局。孩子就是在这类扯皮中成长的。
（二0一三年四月九日）
