The last couple of weeks have been a little emotional. I get
that way before each summer end. The fall
is a time to reset – the mind, the body and the psyche. Despite the heat in Toronto (and trust me, I’m
not complaining), the summer’s end signifies a chapter’s end. And the chapter just ended is a huge one for
me.
Our son, Jason (almost 18) is off to university in London,
Ontario where he’ll be staying for the next 4-6 years. In other words, although he’ll be back for
summers and holidays, I cannot count him as a full time resident in our
home. And for me – this is huge!
As I was saying to my wife, (Karen) who’s far less emotional
than me – it’s a time to realize that for the past almost-eighteen years, he’s
been for the most part accountable to us.
From tomorrow, he for the most part is no longer accountable to us. He’s accountable to himself.
Now – to be clear – this is what growing up is. It’s about
being responsible for one’s self and accountable too. And I just hope that Jason has been well
groomed, schooled and trained for this very exciting chapter.
Jason’s a great kid.
He looks after himself. He’s on
time for everything. He knows the value
of a buck. He treats people like he
expects to be treated. He’s got tremendous qualities. Not only has he learned a lot from Karen and I,
but he’s also been fortunate to have benefited from the wisdom of great
grandparents, uncles and aunts as well as nieces and nephews. Jason’s been raised in a harmonious home as
well, with abundances of everything. In
other words Jason’s had a great childhood and has tremendous potential. Now he has to harness the opportunity ahead -
and I have every belief he will.
I penned Jason a letter today that he will read tomorrow
after he’s settled in. Without getting
into too much detail, it laid out expectations and was also laced with some
man-to-man advice that only a father could give to a son.
So, it’s a sombre time for me – now that Jason’s smiling
face will no longer be around every night.
I can’t slap him on the back and shoot the breeze face-to-face (as we’ve
done for so long). Yeah, we can do
phone or skype, but it’s simply not the same – and besides, which kid uses the
phone now to talk? Certainly not
Jason. LOL LOL.
Jason, my awesome son – the world’s at your feet. You have the ingredients of success. Carpe diem.
And before I get even more emotional, I’ll end this posting.
Happy Labour Day Weekend.
2 comments:
That is huge and you're right Johnny, a very emotional time. All the best to Jason for a very successful time at a school! Shana Tova Umetuka!!
Shana Tova Johnny.Our Eli is away from us for Rosh Hashana. So I can only imagine how difficult the change will be. Our Job as parents is to make our kids self sufficient. That means moving away on there own individual paths. You only hope they remember to call!
Stan
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