Homecoming Poster

 We haven't paid much attention to Homecoming at our town's high school.

Neither Michelle nor I is a graduate of the school, so there's no real incentive to get involved in the alumni-geared events that dominate the weekend.

Neither of our sons have taken much interest, either, except showing up at the football game -- more to socialize than to watch the action on the field.

But that may have changed for good.

Our youngest son, a freshman, told his mother out of the blue that he planned to ask a girl to the Homecoming Dance. And, he wanted to create a poster to make The Big Ask.

The announcement, as it were, came in the midst of a particular grinding day for our family -- or at least me. I had called for a family summit, an intentional choice of words to elevate the occasion from our relatively mundane family meetings to one imbued with more gravity.

Not to deviate too much from the Homecoming storyline, but Michelle and I had grown increasingly frustrated at our teenage children's abject inability to execute a host of simple tasks, from picking up their clothes, putting dishes in the dishwasher, disposing of food wrappers, shelving shoes and bookbags, and so on. Our house had become one constant mess zone, and Michelle and I were tired of being treated as their maids. So, it saw time to redraw the line, and remind them of their responsibilities to the family and to themselves.

The boys greeted the Family Summit announcement just as you would expect them to. First came the ? in the text replies. Then "What" and "Why" in subsequent texts. Then, as the meeting approached -- a resigned roll of the eyes and "how long will this take?" utterances that made clear just how they felt.

To cut to the chase here, the daily chore list (we call it "contributions") was reinstated, they had to sign up for concessions shifts that benefits their school's Fine Arts programs. Michelle and I also instituted a one-strike policy for any deviations from the keep-the-house tidy mandate.

We'll see how it goes.

Well, the summit concluded, and Isaiah transitioned immediately to creating his Homecoming poster.

The thing about Isaiah is he's a real study of extremes. There's the lassitude that comes with activities or subjects that don't interest him much or hold his attention. And, then there's the energetic, almost manic Isaiah that pairs with something that he's truly motivated by, or invested in. We've seen the hyper-motivated Isaiah in his performances in school plays and the hours upon hours of practice that lead to the shows. We've seen that energy and enthusiasm in music, too. In basketball and soccer, it comes and goes. I've seen Isaiah in full on mode and then in mostly off mode. As his longtime coach in soccer, I never knew what I was going to get -- fully engaged Isaiah or disengaged Isaiah. Only he seemed to know, or decide, when he was ready to get after it.

What I can say is he was fixated on creating an alluring poster. He listened intently as Michelle and he worked out the messaging -- a cheeky nod to the theme of his marching band's upcoming performances and the fact that the girl also is in the band. He attended to every detail, the colors, the adornments. He eagerly flitted from one vantage point to another as he watched his mother sketch out the letters, barking instructions (politely) as the artwork came into being. He was completely engaged -- drawing, coloring, scrutinizing, pondering his creation.

What he created is thoughtful, sweet and so on point.

How can any girl say no to that?