Hi Leo! I love you son! I just want to say how proud I am of you! I know I’m often a bit tougher on you than Mom is, but I want you to know how proud I am of you! Usually after I get onto to you for something, I always think back about who you are and everything you do, and I always feel like I’m a bit too strict sometimes. I really am working on it every day!
One thing I always try to do very intentionally is to make sure you also know I hear you and am listenening to what you say. Although I might sometimes still choose what I believe is the be the better way, I want to know and feel that you’re listened to and I do consider what you have to say also.
There will be times though that I have to go with my choice. I remember when I was growing up how I felt sometimes my parents didn’t understand things like I did. I felt like I had the right answer and the right understanding. This is common view of all younger people towards their parents sometimes. It wasn’t until I got older that I realized some of those moments I was wrong, and I was grateful they were strict on some things. I know you may not understand it now or in the moments, but I hope you do recognize our limitless love for you, our desire to always take care of you and ensure your safety and happiness.
I learned over the years that age brings wisdom, which is very different from knowledge. Knowledge is more less knowing things that might be in a book. Knowledge is incredibly important, but knowing how, when, and where to use the knowledge is critical. This (in my opinion) is wisdom. I think the earlier in like you can understand the concept of wisdom the faster you’ll be able to gain it and be prepared for rollercoaster that life can be.
From a young age I found so much wisdom in the song Bowl of Oranges by Bright Eyes. I used to sing it to you when you were little all the time. The last lines of the song in particular were very poignant to me in how they left me with a broader perspective in life. It speaks to being able to step back and look at all lifes up and downs with clear and objective eyes.
And we’ll keep working on the problem we know we’ll never solve
Of love’s uneven remainders, our lives are fractions of a whole
But if the world could remain within a frame like a painting on a wall
Then I think we’d see the beauty, then we’d stand staring in awe
Maybe you’ll remember this song when you get older. You used to always ask me to sing it to you before bed. I’ve been singing it to you lately since you’ve been feeling under the weather lately, espescially today. You got a lot of coughing today and I’m doing everything I can to try to bring it down, because just the sound of hearing you cough, and the stress it puts on your body–I feel it myself each time you cough. This is most likely nothing more than a cold or something else really minimal, but I just can’t help but feel it when you cough and want to hold you every time. Feel better soon Leo! I know you will but I can’t wait till you back to 100% of your wild energy self! Although, you surprisingly still have tons of energy right now!
I can’t stress enough how proud of you I am son! You are more than I could have ever asked for in a child and son. There’s so much greatness in you and you’re such a good person. I see it all the time in your actions and your words. We love you Leo, forever and ever our beautiful son. We’re so excited to see you become the great man we know you will be!