Phase 2

How can it possible be that this little face will be in the graduation ceremony tonight? (He is a little bigger now, of course!) How can I have possibly been a mother long enough to have a child getting ready to go to college? I never thought beyond little kids. I never thought about them growing up and having their own life. It just came way too quickly. 

I have been thinking a lot about this child. What have i done right? What have I done wrong? Is he ready to be his own person and make his mark in the world? Did I teach him what he needs to know to get through the hard parts of life? To appreciate the good parts? To contribute to the good of society? 

I am sure there are many things that I could have done more of but I think there are a few things I did right with him. He is really an amazing child. He is talented in about every area possible. He is beyond smart receiving a full scholarship. (Hooray for me!) He is handsome. He is obedient. He is funny. He is a hard worker. He is self-motivated. 

I am sure he came this way and I can't take too much credit but what I think helped contribute to this great all-a-round child, is opportunities. I am talking about the kind of opportunities that build talents and develop character. I am talking about the kind of opportunities that fill time where video games often do. I hate video games. Really and truly. They are such a waste of time, time that could be used to develop talents and character. What we gave our children is so much better than the X Box. We never gave in. We chose to give them opportunities instead. It paid off.

His opportunities came in the form of guitars and drums  with music lessons, wood working tools and metal grinders, rappelling gear, skateboards, hockey sticks, art lessons, sport classes, gym memberships, surf boards, service opportunities, hiking trips, family outings, guns with desert shooting, bows and arrows, leather making tools, and on and on. Because he had opportunities he learned to create. Instead of coming home to play a video game, he would come home and carve a bow and arrows out of branches in the back yard (many, many times!). He would cut a knife out of steel and grind it with his tools he asked for for Christmas. He would make a leather sheath for his knife with his leather kit along with a solid pair of moccasins. He would paint amazing pictures or sculpt something out of clay. He would make wooden dog houses for his brother or a bow rack for his many bows. He would research info on the web just for fun. He would spend hours practicing his guitar. He developed talents on top of talents. 

I by far think the best thing we did for this child was to never give in to the video games and to allow him the opportunity to use his time for good. Sure he played them with friends at their house and he has a little hand held game for trips, but all in all, video games were pretty rare. Eye-hand coordination is developed so much better in real life applications!

Who knows what this child will end up doing. The sky's the limit with him. He has the tools to fly. 

As sad as I am to see him grow and get ready to leave me, I raised him to do so. I raised him to be his own person. That person is pretty great. He is ready to great the world. He will miss his mom to make breakfast, lunch, and dinner. He will miss me when he has to buy his first roll of toilet paper. But, he will be successful. He will be ready to take what life throws at him. 

Well done, my son. Enjoy this new beginning.

This is the beginning of phase 2 in my life. Phase two will bring me daughter-in-laws, a son-in-law and grandchildren. I won't be loosing children, I will be getting more. I still want to slow down time but it is great to see these little ones grow. Life is good.