We were in California on a business trip for Erin recently and had the chance to visit Albert’s family. While staying with Bernard and Agnes, we were telling them how Curie has taken to the bow and arrow and that Albert has had a bow for her since before she was born (Albert had one for Erin before he ever met her too). This caused them to tell us a funny story about one of their friend’s impressions of Albert when they were kids. Bear in mind that Albert and this friend haven’t seen each other in 20 years so it is even more funny (Bernard and Agnes thought the friend wouldn’t mind if we posted this).
Background: so Albert was a meaner and more annoying big brother in high school than he remembers, exemplified by the time that Albert apparently made Bernard and his friends climb the community tennis court fence to get out (to be fair, they often did not have the key and would climb the fence as a matter of course, but according to Bernard, Albert had the key that day and forced them to climb the fence instead of letting them out).
Anyway, so Bernard and Agnes were talking to this friend (who was one of the friends who had to climb out of the tennis court)about parenting. This friend also has two daughters. They were talking about tiger moms and somehow Albert came up in conversation. The friend claimed that Albert would be a “tiger dad,” When Bernard and Agnes said “really?” He replied, “oh no, Albert is definitely a tiger dad, only he is training his kids to be be Batman.
When you don’t think you make a difference in the world, it turns out you do. And all of us are driven by our ups and downs and our personal insecurities whether it is what compels us to be mean as older brothers when we are young or just getting through the day to day, but even when we do, we are making an impression, and apparently Albert left a big one. Oh and so you know, hearing this story made Albert’s day.