My best hopes and wishes for you, my son

As I sat watching them get lined up and ready to receive their awards, a swelling of emotion came from the depths of my soul. I watched as my oldest child crossed that bridge between boyhood and teenagerdom. Ready to begin and accept the challenges that are laid out before him. As I sat there watching I began to wonder if I had successfully prepared him for this journey.

Would he be able to overcome the challenges presented to him? Would he know right from wrong? And even if he did, would he pick the right path and make the right choices? I wondered if I've done my job, as his mother, well enough (up to this point) to help him become a successful teenager? Will he be able to deal with the peer pressure the right way, or would he give in as I so often did at that age? And how will I handle it, if he does?

I know with all my being that I have done my best, I have presented him with all the tools that I know and more to turn himself into the man that he wishes to become. I can only hope that I have helped him feel comfortable enough to speak with me about anything, to come to me for anything. To know that above all he is loved and that these times are for learning and that we as his family will always be there for him no matter what! To teach, listen and learn from one another.

Just remember that not all is black and white. Choices lead us into places we never imagined, but love is constant!