Robotics Begins

Robotics 2009 Kickoff Event is Saturday at Rochester Institute of Technology. This year, Drew knows a little more about what to expect. Since he's not such a 'newbie', he decided to visit a friend the night before the big event. He stayed late, and in the morning, I have to pry him from the sheets despite the fact that he has been looking forward to this day for months - ever since soccer ended really.

I, on the other hand, rarely ever feel like I know what is going on with Robotics. I am as clueless as they come. They have most of their parent informational and organizational meetings on nights when I work, so I don't get the picture. The faculty advisor does send me the meeting updates, but I always feel like I am in the dark.

This morning is no exception. "Do you need to eat breakfast before we go?" A non-commital grunt from beneath the hood of his sweatshirt. We are definitely running late and Drew doesn't even have shoes on yet. He grabs a peanut butter bar and heads for the car. "What about lunch - do you need to pack one or do you need money to buy one?" Another unintelligible grunt. "What did you say?"

He is losing his patience with me. Anxious about being late, he tells me he doesn't know, not to worry about it, and to grab the paperwork and get going. Paperwork? What paperwork? The only paperwork I had seen was what I had filled out in the only meeting I had been able to attend. I try to reassure him that the faculty advisor is sure to have extra papers for parents like me who don't have it all together.

We head off in stony silence. Not the way I pictured the big day unfolding. The instructions told us to follow the signs and park in the visitor parking. But if they had posted signs, we didn't see them. We were able to find Building 9, but I accidentally drove on the sidewalk (plowed like the road, but no curb showing and no surface blacktop showing to indicate where the sidewalk began).

Now the trick was to find free parking. Drew was getting antsy. We were already ten minutes late and sans paperwork. He wanted me to just park anywhere. I finally did, figuring that if I got a ticket I would plead ignorance. He bounded from the car, impatiently walking on ahead. The sidewalks were icy and filled with ridges of snow, making it difficult for me to walk fast.

Drew never said anything, but I could tell he wished I would hurry up. We finally got in the building, breezed down the long hallway (Drew walking, me running), turned left, more hall, stairs, groups of people milling about, and at last, our little group. Drew held a mumbled conversation with one of the mentors while I sat on a couch to catch my breath.

From the corner of my eye, I could see him sneaking a doughnut or two from the table near registration and wolfing them down. Finally he came over and summarily dismissed me. Huh? Don't I get to stay and see what all the hubbub is about? He wrinkled his nose. "Mom, you don't want to stay." He spoke as though saying it out loud would convince me of the folly of the idea. "Some guy will talk for three boring hours and thank everyone he can possibly think of. It will have no interest to you at all." He turned to go, leaving me standing there blinking.

That was that.

Later when I drove to the school to pick him up, he was bubbling over with details about this year's robot and how it needs to be able to travel on ice, no less, and how they have more mentors and are better organized and on and on. I nodded as I drove home, happy the day had turned out better than it had started. The proof will be in two months when they compete. Perhaps I will get to see the rally this year. Hopefully I won't embarrass Drew too much.