Ive always pushed him. I taught him things early. I threw the ball harder to him than the other boys. I told him things most boys his age would never even think about. I encouraged him to hang out with men rather than boys his age. Ive pushed him all his life. Hes fixin to be fourteen and he looks and acts more like a young man than a teenager. Im proud of him, no doubt, like any man should be. I have all the confidence he will succeed at anything he puts his mind to. My delima is this. Every step forward he takes is a step closer to that day he will leave the nest. While everything I have done with him has been pointing at that day, I dread that day because on that day, I watch my friend fly away as well as my son. Life is surely bitter sweet. I just thank God for every day ive had with him and I pray all the days we have left are good days.

Great post.

Great post. Because of what you have taught him, when he leaves it will be much easier for you because you know he has the tools to succeed. He will be more driven to succeed than others because of the things he is confident in that others his age are trying to figure out. He will be ahead of the game because of you..
Congratulations.

He looked like a fine young man. Remember I told him he was going to be finding alot of new things about life. The two specific ones I didn't mention. One is the smell of gasoline and we all know the other smell. He'll be fine. Keep a loose regin but never let go.

Good job walker. Mines 3 years behind yours but I’m in exact same boat

In a Bible study a few years ago a point was made that has always stuck with me. As parents we should not be training our children to depend on us. Instead we should be training them to depend on Christ. All through the Bible is plenty of scripture to back up hard work, integrity, , and maturity all of which it sounds like you have instilled into your son.

Ive always told him its because of the Lord that we are even together and the best life we can possibly have will be following him. Gods version of our life will be the happiest most productive version. Any deviation from the life the Lord has planned for us will lead to an inferior life. I believe this with all my heart.

Don't take this the wrong way but he is only 14. The shite has not begun to hit the fan yet. I felt the same as you when they were that age. It changed...LOL!


Signed, the father of two now mid-20's men.

I’ve got one that was the exact same way. The harder I pushed the more of a man he became. He has his life dead on track new house, great job that he enjoys, great supportive wife and a new child with a new baby on the way. Daughter does well but she just doesn’t have that investment strategy in place quite yet but she’s getting there. Now my youngest son he is a horse of a different color. More than likely due to the divorce his mother and I went through and it’s a continuous battle. If it’s her way and it benefits or makes her look good then all’s well. If not then there’s hell to pay. Oldest kids have no relationship with her and the youngest one has one only because he lives there. Like I said the oldest two are dead on track but youngest has some making up to do. I never could push him like the other two because he would shutdown. Had a discussion about this issue with him this morning. He shutdown stopped talking and got out of the truck without saying goodbye or I’ll see you in the morning. Rough day

The most important thing that you can teach your children is how to live without you. Sounds like you have done a good job.

My oldest finished BCT Friday night and started AIT today at Ft. Leonard Wood. Him being gone has been tough but to think about him tackling all of the challenges by himself lets me know that I raised him the right way. He's not perfect but he's strong willed and determined and that alone will get you a long way in life.

I always tried to raise my boys like I wasn't gonna be there for them just in case I wasn't.

One of the things our pastor has said that stuck with me more than just about anything else is that, as parents it's not your job to raise children. Your job is to raise adults. Sounds like you've done just that.

The decay of America is the lack of a father. jwalker your post warmed my heart. My youngest just turned 13. I like you, I am constantly teaching him to trust in the Lord, how to use his hands, set the example, failure is OK, character, and how to treat a women. Like you jwalker I did not leave it up to the schools or church to teach him those things.

Just remember that he is still a kid and as good as you raised him there will be a day that he does something that will disappoint you, Every one of them do. When this happens don't blame yourself it is just a kid not making a great decision and there are just some lessons they have to learn on their own. But always remember that the man he becomes will always turn out to be the way he was raised.

I feel your pain/joy(odd how you probably feel both of those at the same time) my bow is 3 months old this month... I am right behind you, and I bet I will blink my eye and all of a sudden he will be a 14 year old. A couple of weeks ago, he went up in diaper sizes and I was amazed at how much that got to me. The first morning we dropped him off at daycare I sat in my truck and shed a couple of tears... don't tell anyone I told yall that, especially my wife because I will deny it, but I'm learning very quickly that watching them grow up is bittersweet

👍...My youngest son just got his drivers license last week 😩

My boy is 11. I seem to have got a little something in my eye reading that. Congrats on realizing what it all means.

From a guy that put his career infront of his first kid (he is 19 now). The days are long, yet the years are short. Dont wish a single day away.

Y'all enjoy all those years while they are young. Both of mine are now in college and both are very mature for their age, extremely successful, firm in their faith and doing great out on their own. As a father, I could not be prouder with how they have turned out or their accomplishments thus far in life. I was fairly hard on them with regard to pushing them to always challenge themselves and to do their best to excel at anything they did or tried. I made them attend church every Sunday and work hard at school, sports, and their jobs coming up, so that they could appreciate the value and sense of accomplishment that comes of a hard day's work and to also be able to recognize where all the blessings that they recieve really come from. They know that I've always got their backs regardless of the situation, through their successes and failures, but they also know everything they do and every decision they make, has consequences that can impact both themsleves and others. One thing that I always tried to instill in them was to always think before they act, and to always take responsibility for their actions. They've heard me tell them time and time again "10 minutes of fun and one bad decision can cause you a lifetime of misery if you are not careful and don't make the right decisions". I'm exceptionally proud of the men they have become and would jump at the opportunity to be able to go back 20 yrs and do it all over again with both of them. Great memories and time well spent. Best years of my life, and my biggest accomplishment in life, for sure. My dad pushed me too and I was successful in school, sports and have been in business too, but being a good dad and bringing your boys up the right way and watching them turn into men.....man, that is where its at and where your true success is measured as both man and a father. For the younger dads, one thing that I do wish that I had done more of was to take more pictures and videos of them especially when they were younger. So let your mind really record those memories when they are made and actively look for and recognize those special moments, however large or small, and when you do, take a quick step back to get the panoramic view and remember hit the mental record button.

It's a slippery slope. I take criticism from Mrs. Nightwatchman all the time for being at work so often, however, I have to bring home the bacon. I've decided to cut back on leisure pursuits like hunting or fishing to make sure I don't miss anything more than I have to.

What you said about the days being long and the years being short is spot on.