Here's an example of a man whose upbringing I hope to emulate for Jack. He is Richard J. Roberts who won The Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 1993.

Here are excerpts from his bio.

* Mom was a homemaker. Read to him and tutored him from an early age.

I am a passionate reader, having been tutored very early by my mother. I avidly devoured all books on chemistry that I could find.

* Received interesting present as a child.

This changed quickly when I received a chemistry set as a present. I soon exhausted the experiments that came with the set and started reading about less mundane ones. More interesting apparatus like Bunsen burners, retorts, flasks and beakers were purchased.

* Father encouraged and supported his interest in chemistry.

My father, ever supportive of my endeavors, arranged for the construction of a large chemistry cabinet complete with a formica top, drawers, cupboards and shelves. This was to be my pride and joy for many years.

* Father introduced mentor to further encourage his passion.

Through my father, I met a local pharmacist who became a source of chemicals that were not in the toy stores. I soon discovered fireworks and other concoctions. Luckily, I survived those years with no serious injuries or burns. I knew I had to be a chemist.

* Mentor in headmaster.

At St. Stephen's I encountered my first real mentor, the headmaster Mr. Broakes. He must have spotted something unusual in me for he spent lots of time encouraging my interest in mathematics. He would produce problems and puzzles for me to solve and I still enjoy the challenge of crossword and logical puzzles. Most importantly, I learned that logic and mathematics are fun!

* Found school boring. :p

Formal chemistry at school seemed boring by comparison and my performance was routine. In contrast, I did spectacularly well in mathematics and sailed through classes and exams with ease.

From age 16 on I found school boring and failed A-level Physics at my first attempt. This was necessary for University entrance and so I stayed an extra year to repeat it. This time I did splendidly and was admitted to Sheffield University, my first choice because of their excellent Chemistry Department. After Chemistry, Physics and Mathematics in the first year, I opted for Biochemistry as a subsidiary subject in the second year. I loathed it. The lectures merely required rote learning and the laboratory consisted of the most dull experiments imaginable. I was grateful when that year was over and could concentrate wholly on Chemistry. I graduated in 1965 with an upper second class honours degree.

(Source: The Nobel Foundation)

If you read the book Raising Boys by Steve Biddulph, he mentions specifically the criticality of a mother's attachment to her son, his father's involvement and encouragement, and the need for parents to introduce good male mentors to a boy. In Richard J. Roberts's case, it certainly worked out well.

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