Contrast

My 12 year old son can charm the rattles off a rattlesnake when he wants to. Other times, he retreats into himself, avoiding confrontation like the plague.

He can't remember where he left his backpack/towel/glasses/shoes/book/etc.

He gets easily frustrated at the first roadblock of any task.

He still has difficulty tying his own shoes.

. . .

And yet he very calmly and competently flew on his own from Boston to Portland, Oregon yesterday, easily navigating the transfer/change of planes in San Francisco.

According to my dear friend who picked him up at the Portland airport, my son was 'holding court' with a group of the flight attendants as they all walked off the plane together. Now, he *didn't* fly as an unaccompanied minor and the attendants had no responsibility to take care of him. They just gravitated toward him. He must have been in full charm mode.

For the next 3 weeks, he will be with his best friend's family touring the pacific north west in their RV.

Not too shabby for the kid who was nearly destroyed by 6th grade.