This weekend I have the opportunity to take LAMP kids to do some fun things. Last night a corporation generously donated two tickets to a Penguins game at the new Consol Energy Center. I took a mentee who really needed to have a night of fun (I think I needed a night of fun, too). We sat in a luxury box with the CEO of the company and his family. What a great night! Today I'm taking a few other kids to a Pirate game with my family. I know we're going to have an incredible time.
Mentoring is not always about special events, but it is often about fun. The kids love to get out of their neighborhoods sometimes. They love to laugh, relax, and open the door to new experiences just like anybody else. Sometimes I talk to my mentees about tough life stuff, like staying away from drugs or gangs, or navigating through difficult family or school issues. Most of the time, though, we just talk about common things that friends talk about. One of the great things about mentoring is that it is a relationship that is different than those of parents or teachers or tutors. Mentors don't need to try to change kids or prescribe behaviors for them. We just need to be friends, and the results come later on as a result of planting seeds. I'm looking forward to planting some more seeds at a Pirate game today. I may even have fun while I'm at it.
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