Message 609

Yesterday I picked Beech up at his school at noon and took him to McDonalds for lunch. His is now keen on collecting their Ice Age toys. He has decided to quit going to the after-school program called Annex. He insisted on talking personally to his doctor who had told Vanessa he should stay in the program because he needed the socialization experience. He was determined to argue his own case and the doctor told him he was free to make his own decision. Beech told me this while I was helping him with his homework after lunch. We then had a little discussion about freedom and that he was always free to think whatever he wanted, but that he was only free to act if what he did was not hurtful to someone else, except in cases of self defense. I pointed out that this was also part of the Kung Fu pledge that everyone had to recite before every class. He then told me he was quitting Kung Fu too, but his dad had told him he would have to pay him $100 if he quit because he had already signed and paid for him up to continue. I suspect that Julian and Vanessa may persuade him not to quit Kung Fu, but we shall see.

I did not watch a movie yesterday. Instead I watched Nova about archeology and the bible, and a rerun of the Frontline show on credit cards on PBS. I also read some more of The Economist. Today I have already done my exercises, for the second day in a row.