The second kid… They never really get the attention. When the first kid learns to swim… Or loses a tooth… Especially in this epoch of social media sharing… It’s obvious that as parents… We are going to show off kid #1 doing something completely fantastic (like riding a bike for the first time)… But when kid #2 or worse yet… 3-?… Learn or do anything worth sharing… It’s a sure bet that… We will take fewer photos and probably not share too much either.
I think that has been Aiden’s lot in life. While he has never complained, and I assumed he didn’t care about the lack of coverage… I am still very aware that I don’t post a lot of “atta-boys” for Stig.
So, this post might be some of that… Or not. Let’s find out together.
Aiden graduated from Carthage this year, and I did publicize the event. He had a great showing of friends and family at the ceremony and he had a pretty great open house here in Tremont. That’s all as it should be.
Since then, it has been a bit of a worry for all of us about what he was going to do after graduation. He loves Kenosha and was working 3 jobs towards the end of his college education. Intern for the City of Kenosha. Sales at “The Goose” learning the craft of used clothing values. He was also doing some “for hire” videography. (The minister gig at Colton and Brooks wedding did not count to my list since he didnt get paid!)
The worry was… What if he didn’t find a full-time job? Minimum wage in Wisconsin is substantially lower than Illinois, and even regular jobs pay quite a bit less. Aiden was worried that all the work and nothing permanent might mean some time back home in our house.
Not a big deal to us. We do enjoy our empty nest status to some extent. Not having to stock a fridge for young people is VERY nice. If you don’t know that yet as a parent, it’s something to look forward to.
There was a rare opening at the City of Kenosha after or near Aiden’s graduation, and there was nothing certain about him getting the job. He had been an intern with the Elections Division during an election (He knew all about the dual USB drive drama that could transpire if the wrong drive was submitted, like what happened in Milwaukee during the primaries) and had been doing “front of the house” work in the clerk’s office.
A job did open. It’s rare for an opening for a full time municipal job with all the benefits. And a lot of people applied. Aiden applied as well, but he was not getting his hopes up. He was mentally prepping for a return home, and I was already thinking about grocery shopping.
We got a call, and I was not sure if it was good or bad. He said that we were not allowed to talk about it because it was not officially posted, but he said that they had offered him the job. That was a relief for everyone! We were thrilled, and we kept our promise. We didn’t say a word. And maybe I kept the promise a little too well. I never posted about it. Again… Kid #2 never asked for the extra attention (even when he deserves it), and I knew he was still nervous about life and moving forward after college.
There’s a scene in Weird Science (a slightly dated John Hughes movie from the 80’s) where Wyatt’s grandparents are driving home from dinner on a Saturday night. They are talking and decide to stop in and see their grandson because “What kid doesn’t just love a surprise visit from their Grandparents?”. I always refer to that line because the sarcasm was real then, and it’s still relevant now. Far be it for us to assume that we know what kids want?
Juxtapose that with “What kid doesn’t want to invest in a house with their parents and build equity in their future?”
This question is relevant here because we did that. We knew that Aiden had quaint living conditions (at a very fair 300 a month or something ridiculous) but he was trying to figure out something better. Leave it to Dad to do that stupid thing he does… Re-downloading the ZILLOW ap and taking a look around Kenosha for a bargain house that would be better than paying rent.
Well, I found a house. I called my local guy, Max Schneider at Keller Williams in Tremont, and asked him for advice… He hooked me up with a Wisconsin realtor and the next thing you know… We are looking at a house.
We are making an offer on a house
We are having a house inspected.
We are renegotiating our offer.
I am unfreezing all my credit bureaus because I never apply for credit, and I am co-signing for a house with a newly full-time employed Stig.
We are buying a house.
The rest is a waiting game and that all came to a head last Thursday. We closed on a little 3-bedroom house in Kenosha for Aiden to live in. Its a group effort because rates suck. Values are high, and this is a fixer-upper.
Angela and I came home Thursday night after the closing… Then headed back up this weekend. We have spent the last two days cleaning 20 years of cigarette smoke as our primary mission to get the house occupiable (is that a word?)
We had a plan. Lots of cleaning chemicals… Lots of Killz Restoration paint and ZEP foaming cleaners. We were doing pretty good at cleaning… But Aiden had a gaggle of his friends show up on Saturday and Sunday to help paint ceilings. That is not necessarily a young man’s job, but standing back and watching the attack the project… I think it’s my new preference.
Today, Sunday, as we were continuing with Aiden moving in, we were more and more satisfied with the result.
The real test will be when Tim and Julie stop by this week. What will their noses detect?
Back to Weird Science… Is there anything better and worse than buying a house with your parents? Expectations are still there to keep the place tidier than your dorm room… As parents, we have that newfound feeling of “wouldn’t Aiden love for us to come stay the weekend,” but I have to remember John Hughes’ wisdom… And remind myself that this is his living space. Maybe we can house sit when he is out of town?
I don’t have the time right now… But I have to tell you… His neighbors and neighborhood are awesome. There is a whole “scene” in his area, and everyone knows each other. I love this… I am not sure Aiden is fascinated by this.
Oh, he has little furniture!!! If you have a spare anything… He might take it. Right now, its a decent bed and a few kitchen chairs. Not quite homey yet.
Its also worth noting that an old house… Has lots of stairs! I used my Apple Watch app to look and see what I had done over the past few days… Well… I climbed some steps. Nothing amazing, but it was a grinder a few times, like when I was carrying an air conditioner.
Looks like the closing day had me climbing some stairs as well!
Congratulations to Aiden!!! As I told your mom and dad when they bought their first house and moved from Delavan to Green Valley, “but it is so far away!” (It is actually about eight miles.)