The Power of Carlos

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The Power of Carlos

Marvin Dale

Perhaps you find the title of this article a little bit unusual! Well that’s because to some people the subject of this article may be extremely unusual. I will promise you that once you have finished reading this article you will "swear you know this kid."

Carlos is a very complex little dude. He prides himself on being difficult. His goal is to have all the attention focused on him when it’s convenient. In other words Carlos always considers himself the star of the show unless there is a problem that he has caused. He denies the fact that he has issues and he expects privacy when those issues begin to surface. He tends to lack respect for his other siblings and never gives them the same privacy and respect he commands. He’s kind of a hypocrite in that respect. He also displays extreme jealousy when the other kids do things together despite his ignorant behavior. It took a while but the other kids finally figured out how Carlos was and they just do things without him when he doesn't’ want to participate. They have a saying "that’s just Carlos!" It drives Carlos crazy!

It took me a while to figure it out but I came to the conclusion that Carlos is perhaps the very foundation of the family. I know it sounds odd but Carlos has the power! What I mean is Carlos has managed to become representative of all of the emotions I feel during the course of my day. For example: I can’t get so wrapped up in my work and forget about family because I often wonder if Carlos is in trouble at school. That leads me to the thoughts of my wife and whether or not she is wondering the same thing that I am. I also think of my other children as a result of my thoughts of Carlos. I wonder if the other kids have had a problem at school today or if they are embarrassed because Carlos has done something stupid. I wonder if they are mad or disappointed that my wife and I didn’t pay enough attention to them as they were leaving for school. Maybe they had some special event or needed extra money for a field trip and I didn’t listen. I wonder if finally somehow, some way Carlos is going to open up to the counselor at school and tell her why he seems to be mad at the world. I hope that somehow he decides to tell someone how he really feels about the fact that he now has a stepfather and a stepbrother and stepsister. He sends mixed messages about that! I just can’t figure it out and he won’t actually say. I try to do things that involve just him and I but he usually decides not to go for one reason or another. He just puts those headphones on his head and shakes to his music. If he’s cornered about his feelings he’ll just say "It’s cool, man!" When I hear that I’m comforted for a minute but after a while I wonder if he really means it.

That, my friends, is the Power of Carlos! Carlos is me! Carlos is you! Carlos is all of us! We have all had times when we wanted to be the center of attention. There have also been many times when we wanted to be left alone. Carlos means different things to different people. But make no mistake about the Power of Carlos! It is very real!

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