This weekend I have been lucky enough to be included in one families graduation celebration for their son. You see, B (trying to be a little bit anonymous) has been a part of our family for about 2 years. It started out as his parents were friends with Jack and I but now he has crept into our hearts as well. With all of this said..Jack and I have been able to watch our friends parent a kid with immense talents in sports and try to help him decide if he should pursue sports scholarships or do the easy thing and just go to OU. It is easy because Norman is already home. The hard part is that he must figure out if playing sports is what he wants to do and possibly move away from “the safe place”. Watching B trying to figure this out reminds me of how stressful 18 and graduation is for a kid.
For me, graduating was just the process I must do to go on to the pre-planned life my parents had “expected” me to do. I remember feeling that attending college was my only option. God forbid I had wanted to become a chef and go to New York and attend culinary school. That in my parents mind would have meant I was failing. So, being the oldest I never wanted to fail. So, I followed my high school sweetheart to OU (dropping scholarship opportunities). I did everything expected except I dropped journalism, dumped that high school boy, fell in love with a waiter who sang and attended every college in the tri-state area and chose to get an English degree. (I still remember hearing my father say, “What in the heck are you going to do with a degree like that?” So, if you compare to my graduation at 18 to B’s mine was planned. No crazy decisions for me until I learned that this was my life and I was the only one who could make MY dreams come true!!
The “good news” is that my friends are wonderful parents and luckily B is a good kid. They are doing a great job of telling their son that they are there to make his dreams come true…whatever that may be. The hard part is how does an 18 year old make that decision? I know whatever he chooses he will do well in life!! I am proud of him and the progress he has made since he has been in our life. He is a good person, a good brother, and a great son! That in the end is all any parent really wants…