I often think "I'll tell Jack about that when he's older."
My father sat down in his chair and died. My neighbour, younger than me, sat down in his van and died. Cancer has tried twice to take those I love and luckily failed. It dawned on me eventually that I might not be here to tell Jack.
So this blog is for Jack in case I'm not here to say it personally. I'll capture those messages, organise them, and hopefully share them when the time comes.
In the meantime, I hope readers can get some enjoyment and even benefit from these thoughts. Enjoy.
See here for more background on this blog.
The trick is, to live your days
as if each one may be your last
(for they go fast, and young men lose their lives
in strange and unimaginable ways)
but at the same time, plan long range
(for they go slow; if you survive
the shattered windshield and the bursting shell
you will arrive
at our approximation here below
of heaven or hell).
© J. Peter Meinke, from Advice to My Son
© Copyright 2006-2008 Two Hills Ltd www.twohills.co.nz. All rights reserved
Thankyou for your thoughtful
Thankyou for your thoughtful comments.
I do think much has been lost in the second half of the twentieth century. I wrote a bit about it here http://www.bothol.org/node/12
I highly recommend the Steve biddulph book Raising Boys (see the website). I found the things I missed in that book (my Dad was around but very remote due to stuff HE went through at that age). I will be following its concepts as I raise jack.
Autism is one more hurdle - my best wishes dealing with that.
I love your point about "what kind of things are out there to make boys into men". I may write about that. Biddulph talks about the need to get boys out into the wilderness with men. Jack and I go to the mountains every year.