‘Go For It Son!’

Supporting Our Children…Even If It May Seem Crazy At First

I’ve posted blogs with similar content in the past but today was a special day so it warrants an additional one.

“I want to be a race car driver”, “ I want to play in the NHL”, “I want to be a taxi driver”, “I want to fly a Dreamliner”.

Dreams and goals.

We all have them…or have had them.

Some of us are living out our dreams and goals with success, a sense of purpose, contentment and joy.

Then there are others of us who feel like we constantly want to set that care-free 7 year-old who is stuck in an adult body free. With still so much to do and see in life yet goes through the journey constrained, deflated by words, thoughts or expectations of others (and themselves), life remains un-seized.

Why do some applaud certain career choices yet other choices don’t get credit. Why? Why do we too often do that as people…as a society?

I’ve always loathed that.

I like the way this author put it when she shared her story about wanting to be a writer…

“As I entered middle school, I started writing more. Short stories became my specialty. I even entered one into a contest and got in the top thirty out of hundreds of entries in my category. But, thanks to my mom, my real dream was put on pause in my seventh grade year.

I was taking life science in seventh grade, and became so interested in human biology. My mom used that interest, along with her dream of being a doctor, and, suddenly, I was saying, “I want to be a neurosurgeon.”- themindfulword.org

Luke wants a Lambo, a big house, a pair of Dior Jordan’s and to be able to give cool stuff away to people. He doesn’t know to get to the point where he’d be able to acquire those things though he is a natural-born businessman and that’s how and why LIVN&GIVN started. He’s witty, funny, sees life in a different light than others, finds the interesting in the ordinary and he is ingenious when it comes to finding alternate ways to complete a task.

It’s not about the physical things for the ‘thing’c rather if that’s what he wants to prioritize, so be it. Each to their own and who am I to say it’s wrong or stupid?

Braden knows everything about everything…almost actually. He’s wanted to fly planes since as long as I can remember and can spit out all in-use models, planes that are no longer flying and what airlines use which companies. He’s an honour student, is taking half grade 12 classes next year and will finish high school early.

Luke and Braden are different in every way and they are both needed, wanted, valued, gifted and ‘right’.

Today, it was fly Braden fly!

He went to his lesson not knowing if his instructor would deem him fit to solo yet. The giant smile on his face when he walked in the door mid-morning was all I needed to know about what happened earlier. It was a good day.

I don’t like being realistic because that’s too boring a way to live.

With my boys I always ask, why not you?

I try to make use of every opportunity to entertain, support, ask more questions and stoke the coals of their dreams. I engage in conversations about the biggest craziest ideas they have and I make sure I let them know there’s always a way to accomplish it…though all great things take work.

There is no such thing as an ‘overnight success’ and whatever it is they hope to do or accomplish will take (in their own way) determination, the spirit of conqueror, learning to fail well, being a life-long learning, connections, discernment, favour, consistency and grace with ourselves and others.

Where there’s a will there’s a way…go get it boys.

Philippians 4:13 says, “ I can do all things through Christ who gives me strength.”

Note that passage doesn’t say ‘some’ things…it says ALL things so who am I to play life small when it was intended to be played in the big leagues?

Play big, go for everything that inner child thinks about each day, support your kid’s dreams, their words of hope, encourage them to share their crazy ideas with you and keep those coals burning.

Also, like Einstein’s mother did…don’t show them the note.

Instead, remind them they can do ALL the things.

-Becky