As we got ready for church, I told my son maybe he should wear his Trubisky jersey. Not for old times’ sake, not because we’re still rooting for him or anything like that. No, it’s because my son turned 10 on this day; a decade old… holy shit! He decided to wear his brand new Ayo shirt that we had picked up the night before at the Bulls game; good choice.
Where to begin… Walking to work the other day, thinking about my son’s upcoming birthday, I had a feeling of pride, a feeling of happiness. I guess that makes sense; any milestone for your child is a milestone for us as parents as well. My wife and I always say that our son was the best thing we ever did together; we continue down this road with him 10 years later… we will always be on this road with him. One of the greatest things ever is to hear someone tell you good things about your kid. We’ve been lucky enough to hear this a lot; he IS a great kid. From his teacher during parent-teacher conference, to the priest at the church, from parents’ of other kids in his class, to family members on both sides, although I can believe it, I can’t believe it. It’s like that Talking Heads song… how did I get here? Where do we go from here?
Nobody can tell the future. You try your best every single day; you screw up… you try to do better next time… you know you’re going to screw up again… it’s inevitable. It’s not something that we look forward to doing, not something we plan to do, but it WILL happen. Like father said in church on this Sunday, or maybe it was last Sunday, we are all sinners. Finding out your parents are not perfect is a revelation; I don’t want this to be a surprise for my son. I have already told him; I have apologized for some things already. Seeing and hearing the perspective of a child… yes, he’s STILL a child… is really great. We can all learn something from that. As I hope my son learns a lot from me, I hope I continue to learn from him; it’s a two way street, as any relationship should be. I know that I will continue to try to be the best example I can for him, in every aspect of life. I want him to be better than me. I want him to learn from all my mistakes, although I do realize that he will have to learn from his own. I remember my father telling me the same thing; I didn’t listen to everything either…
No, just as I am not perfect, my son will not be either; I don’t care. I will love him no matter what. I think the best thing that my parents taught me was how to love. From my love for them, to the love for my siblings, to the love for my friends growing up, this was one thing I knew well. This love is at the center of my marriage; the love for my wife is a whole different level. I look at all my nieces and nephews today, and how much I love them. A whole lot of love… When it comes to my son, a bottomless pit of love if you may. There is literally no limit.
Happy Birthday my boy! You only turn double digits once; 90 more years until you add another digit! I will still be on this road with you, today, tomorrow, and always. Love you.
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