I want to preface this article by saying that I do not currently have children and I plan on keeping it that way for a good while. However, there are a few things I’d like them to know, from me, while I’m still young and incredibly open to ideas. I know it may seem silly, and in a sense it is, but I’m doing this now because I still find fascination in the silly things. I certainly hope that my kids will too.
1. My First Kiss
It was the year 2000 and she was pretty. We were both really nervous and we both had absolutely no idea what we were doing. Who would’ve guessed? Almost every day, my kindergarten teacher rolled the television (yes, rolled) to the front of the classroom and put on what was then my favorite show, "Dragon Tales." It follows the life of these twins who discover a way to travel to a magical place filled with dragons. I hope there are still DVDs around so I can play it when you understand words. Back to my first kiss though. As Dragon Tales played in the background, so romantically, we crawled under a really clunky desk. There were actually “cubby holes” in them. Super lame, I know. In a matter of 1.62 seconds (estimating here), we pressed our faces against each other and quickly backed away. We were sly. We were young. We never talked about it again. Except, I did. I talked about it the rest of my elementary years- with all of my guy friends. Whenever they would brag about something, I proudly stated that I had kissed a girl before I could even do simple multiplication. Thank God I hadn’t learned that yet.
2. My First Heartbreak
This is a tough one. I hope you’ll never experience the perils of a broken heart. If and when you do experience this, I’ll probably cry just as much as you do. For me, heartache came in eighth grade. There was this really cute girl I loved talking to. She wasn’t particularly popular and, more interesting, her dad was a janitor for the school. I didn’t care about that though. I wanted her to be my girl. The first time I asked her out, she said yes. I was astounded. However, middle school is a confusing time. I convinced myself, for some reason, that I wasn’t actually ready for a relationship. I explained this to her in a very understandable way. She got it. She moved on. I didn’t.
Months later, I decided I was ready. I gave it another shot, and once again, she said yes. My eighth grade year, excluding algebra, went pretty well. I was happy. But then, the summer before high school, it happened. On that dreadful day, she didn’t answer my calls. I was worried. I figured she had gotten into some horrible accident, or disappeared from the face of the earth. I called and called until she answered. It was then that she told me. It was over. There wasn’t any particular reason (that I knew of), but she wanted to end things. It sucked. For the first time in my life, I cried over a girl. It took me weeks to recover. I hated love. It made me vulnerable. But my dear children, love is a fantastic thing I’m sure you’ll experience. Hopefully, it won’t be in the form of hurt.
3. My First Job
Like most teenagers, I was pretty hesitant about getting a job. It wasn’t that I was lazy, I simply had no experience, and to be honest, it frightened me. Adulthood is something I desired, but working for the rest of my life wasn’t really one of those perks I hoped to attain. Nevertheless, my parents bugged me until I applied to a few places. Luckily, there was a grocery store nearby. It wasn’t a supermarket, but it wasn’t a small shack either. A few weeks after filling out my application, I got a call from the store manager. My interview was scheduled. That Sunday my parents drove me to the store after church. I went into it feeling - well, I didn’t know how to feel. The interview questions seemed never-ending, and my mouth had never been more dry. It actually turned out well. I had the job before the interview was over.
Although I think I was supposed to feel excited (and I was), I was mostly afraid. New things can be really intimidating. You’ll realize this the more you grow up. I’m still realizing it. There was no need to be afraid though. After weeks of training, I became one of the best courtesy clerks at the store. Countless times, I was asked to train newer employees and my managers noticed how well I did the job. I was a surprisingly hard worker. I never would've imagined it. Money is a great motivator. It feels wonderful to have it- but money isn’t everything. I loved my first job, until I didn’t. After three tedious years, I was no longer happy there and wanted something new. I parted ways with the store and went into the unknown. Don’t ever let money force you to stay in a situation where you’re not happy. I’m not encouraging you to quit every place you aren’t particularly fond of. However, if you know you can do better, do better. Never settle for the sake of comfort. Move on until you discover something that brings you joy and fulfillment.
4. My First Book
Want to know a secret? I didn’t really enjoy reading that much until I was pretty much an adult. Of course, I read books in grade school but never for pleasure. If I read, it was always in lieu of some assignment or project I had absolutely no interest in. Many subjects in school can seem stale and you will have to force yourself to find something interesting about them. That’s an entirely different subject though. So, my first actual book was "Looking For Alaska" by John Green. How did I begin reading? That’s a great question. During my first semester of college, I laid in bed one night and thought to myself - "intelligent people read a lot, maybe I should try it." A few moments later, I was scouring through countless searches on Google. I browsed and browsed until I stumbled upon this mysteriously named book. I thought, “there sure aren’t many books about Alaska.” I also thought, “it seems fairly short; I can do short.” After many weeks (I’m a slow reader), I discovered the profound impact a book can have on your life. Green is now my favorite author. I learned words are more than words, they are powerful tools of inspiration and wonder. Please don’t wait as long as I did to discover this.
5. My Last Thing
Above all else, I love you. There’s nothing a father could be more proud of than his very own kids. From a young age, I decided that I wanted to be successful, not for my own sake, but for the sake of you. I want you to live a great life, a life even greater than mine. You are my future. So I try my very best to work hard while I’m in college. I want to leave behind a legacy that will extend beyond temporary decisions. A legacy which impacts the world and positively influences those around me. You are this legacy. I promise to support you in everything you do. It won’t be because I have to, but because I genuinely want to. I hope you’ll know that. Also, I’ve made a lot of mistakes in life and I’ve experienced some fairly unpleasant things thus far. Chances are you’ll experience them too. It makes people stronger, though and wiser. Wisdom is a good thing. I don’t really know when I’ll be a father, but whenever I am, I sure do hope I make you proud. I'll aim to be cool and understanding and everything you admire about a person.
See you then.
