who cares?

My son brings home his schoolwork for me to check before he turns it in. I don't have to check it, but I like to look at it and help him if I see he's done something incorrectly. Sometimes when I point out an error, he will groan, roll his eyes and say "Who cares?" That steams me. I tell him that I care, and that he should care too because getting things right in 4th grade will help him get things right in 5th grade and beyond. I care and he should care because doing it right and getting good grades is important. If we can fix errors in homework assignments and he understands why it was wrong and can make the correction, he has a better chance of doing a similar problem right on a test which will earn him a good grade and good grades may help him earn a scholarship to a great university.

Red Sox outfielder Manny Ramirez sparked a lot of talk on sports radio with his comment, "Who cares? It's not the end of the world." He was talking about baseball and that it wouldn't be the end of the world if the Red Sox didn't win Game 5 to save their season. He's right. In the end, it is just a game and there is always next year for the team.

The problem I have with the comment were the first 2 words. Who cares? I know Manny wants to win. He's a professional athlete. If he didn't care, he wouldn't work as hard as he probably does to be the hitter he is. I heard Ramirez described on ESPN Radio as a "carefree spirit" who "isn't as eloquent as a U.N. ambassador", trying to defend Ramirez's comments. I get that.

Here's the thing for me: we watch and listen to "Mike and Mike in the Morning" on ESPN radio at home and in the car on the way to school. My son hears what the Mikes are talking about every morning. We also watch a lot of baseball at home, especially in October, and my son knows who Manny Ramirez is and he recognizes that Ramirez is a very good player. So when my son hears this guy say "Who cares?" it sort of sends the message that I don't want him to get.

T and I spent some time today talking about the Ramirez comment and how it relates to baseball but not necessarily to real life. I told him that Manny Ramirez has worked hard to become a great hitter and he does care about being the best player he can be and T needs to work on being the best he can be, also. I hope that I explained it all in a way that makes sense to my little man. I'm not sure I explained it very well in this post, but oh well. Who cares? ;o)