Richard R RamosRichard R. Ramos. Founder of Parents on a Mission,Youth on a Mission, and Latino Coalition for Community Leadership

Parenting Advice: The Farmer’s Role in Confrontation and Cultivation

27 Sept 2026 · 1 min

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1:09

In this monologue, a parent (Speaker A) reflects on their child’s situation: despite being intelligent and athletic, the child lacked the grades needed for college, leaving only trade school or military service as viable options. The family explored military branches, attended recruiter meetings, and supported the child’s decision-making process. The child took the ASVAB, scoring exceptionally high, which opened up a range of occupational possibilities within the military. The parent mentions a person named Shannon, who was overwhelmed by the child’s test performance. Overall, the speaker emphasizes the challenges of guiding a bright but academically under‑performing teen toward a constructive career path, highlighting the role of parental involvement and the impact of standardized test results on military career options.

Chapters

What was that about? Well, I think it, you know, he's a super bright kid, you know, great athlete, but at times just felt he was too cool for school. You know, just like just going through things and he made choices, you know, that it got him to a point where he, he couldn't go to college. He, he didn't have the grade. He was smart enough, he could work hard enough, but he didn't have the grades to go do all those things. So it was a trade school or the military, and he decided to go in the military, which was a great option for him. And what, what was the, just a little bit more specific on the, what you sent me, the, the award and what, what that was about? Yeah. Well, when, when we went in, you know, because he was looking at which military branch to go. So we're going to recruiters and we're still there supporting him, you know, and trying to figure out what's best and, and talk about these decisions. And so, uh, uh, there was a test called the ASVAB to get in the military and it scores and kind of like where you're at and kind of what occupation you can go into. And Shannon was just so flustered with him because he scored off the charts.