When my first son was born, I was naive and optimistic, I wondered/dreamed what amazing things he might accomplish, do, and achieve – I guess in a way, what kind of all-star he’d be? Most of the naiveite has been ground away by the years, but the optimism will always remain.
These days my wishes/dreams/prayers for my sons are more like:
- To live a meaningful and fulfilling life (in their terms, nobody else’s).
- To be kind and empathetic to others.
- To give and find as much unconditional love as possible.
- To always forgive, but not always forget and understand why that’s a superpower.
- A life devoid of major drama and illness.
- To make enough to have what they need and some of what they’d like.
- To leave this world a little better than they found it (whatever that means to them)
If they achieve all or some of that, does that make them an all-star? My kids were all-stars the moment I set eyes on them, and that’s not something that’s going to change. However, my pride concerning their choices can vary… LOL.
I think it’s way more about what you do than anything you can say. I grew up with welfare, food stamps and with single mentally ill parents that were physically and verbally abusive. From age 9 on I was alone from 3PM – 1AM if you don’t count time my dad was asleep after swing shift. He was schizophrenic, and I believe he did the best he could. I always knew he unconditionally loved me, and in the end, I think that was enough – I think that’s the one most important thing to get right raising our all-stars.