My youngest is starting high school. This feels so different than his first day of Kindergarten. That was full of excitement and some fear, but this feels like the beginning to an end. I know it is still four years to that end, but time moves so damn fast these days.
To John –
You may be as tall as a grown man and sound like one too, but don’t be afraid to be a kid. Be funny, play around, and don’t take yourself too seriously.
Be a good student. I know you don’t like school and you struggle in certain subjects, but struggle teaches you how to deal with adversity later in life. Do your homework, study for your tests, and and do the best you can.
Be a good friend.
Try new things. Join new clubs. See where these new things take you. The path you think you are on is often not where you end up, and you get to meet some really cool people along the way.
Try out for baseball. If you don’t make the team, just work harder the next time around. And, if that isn’t enough, it’s okay. Feel the disappointment and then play hard on the travel team that you love. They are your home.
Take risks. Know that you will mess up (hopefully in a typical, correctable, learn-from-your-mistakes kind of way), but that is part of learning and figuring out where your boundaries are.
Don’t be afraid to talk to me or your Dad. There isn’t much that we haven’t seen or done. Understand that while we trust you, we don’t always trust your teenaged brain. We may end up angry or disappointed sometimes, but we love you anyway. You can always talk to us.
Build relationships with everyone you can – your classmates, older students, teammates, principals, teachers, and coaches. We learn the most from each other.
Most of all, remember that you are my baby boy, and my love for you is not measurable. I will feel your triumphs, your failures, your highs, your lows, and your every day right along with you. I am ALWAYS going to ask for that hug even when you are surrounded by friends. You don’t understand why now, but you will someday.
Thank you for the, “I love you, Mom,” tonight as I walked away, so you could leave from the high school walk around with friends. I don’t care that you were texting a friend and talking to a girl at the same time. It meant everything to me.
Enjoy this new chapter and make some great memories. Fly high, Baby Boy.
Love, Mom