An open letter to my little man, Jackson Clay Blevins
I got you a matching hat to wear when you finally make it out to share this beautiful world with me. It's just like the hats I like to wear, but much, much smaller… I completely understand that you will be you and not who I might want you to be. Heck, you might not even like wearing hats. Hat hair is a real thing—especially if you end up having thick hair like your mom and dad (I've broken more than a couple of sets of hair clippers in my day).
Seriously, if you don't like hats, I won't make you wear them. You don't really have a choice about our daddy-son picture with matching hats (Hey, I'm still trying to get over 100 likes for a profile pic, and, uh, thanks in advance!). Until you learn to talk and make your opinions known like a grown-ass man, you don't have a choice. Yeah, you’re going to have to learn that you have to be strong to have choices. The world will try to control you, and you're going to have to learn to stand on your own. You're going to learn. That's how life works, but you'll have me here to teach you, don't worry. And if for some reason I'm not, you've got some crazy cool aunts and uncles that helped me become the man I am: They will do the same for you if I can't...
That’s just plan B, though. I will be here to tell you how life works; it doesn't. It isn't fair, and it's going to be tough. That's my job, to teach you and guide you through finding your place in this world. I’ll teach you to create your own joy. You’ll need to be passionate about something. This world has a lot to offer you, and you have a lot to offer it, but it won’t ever give you anything that you don’t find for yourself (I can hear myself lecturing teenage you about being bored right now.).
The only thing I ever want from you is for you to care. I would love it if you were to learn to sing and play the guitar; enjoy the outdoors and building a fire in the rain; and keep Sundays open for football. But if you play soccer, the violin, and Magic the Gathering comes back and you are the king of that at your lunch table, I'll make t-shirts and cheer you on (I’m going to embarrass you with how much I love you; get over it.).
I want to tell you things, and I want for you to trust me because I’ve already learned a lot of stuff the hard way. For starters, go to your school dance, and be a man and take the girl you want to take. Just make sure she doesn't dress like a hoochie momma (your mom won't like her if she does—trust me on this one.). When you get there, dance like you don't care who is watching because you won't. If you're not embarrassing your friends on a daily basis, you aren't a good friend, and you probably won't have any, anyway. Dare to be different, and don’t care about what other people say or think. Use the haters as fuel for your workouts, practices, and all the times you need courage.
I realize that my last paragraph was a little assuming, but it’s not exclusive. Hell, if you’re the type of guy that takes a guy to a dance, don’t let him dress like a hoochie momma, either (Moms really just don’t like slutty outfits.). This is the other thing I will teach you through my daily acceptance of who you become: There is the world as it is for everyone, the world as it is for you, and the world as it is going to be. Your world is the only thing you can control, and the world as it will be will be because of you. You can change the world, but it might just be on a smaller scale than you would like. Do it anyway.
No part of my existence cares about anything more than you, Jackson, and I can’t wait to hold you and to tell you everything I know and to teach you everything that I can do. You and me, kid; we’re going to do big things… or small things… or everything.
I got you a matching hat to wear when you finally make it out to share this beautiful world with me. It's just like the hats I like to wear, but much, much smaller… I completely understand that you will be you and not who I might want you to be. Heck, you might not even like wearing hats. Hat hair is a real thing—especially if you end up having thick hair like your mom and dad (I've broken more than a couple of sets of hair clippers in my day).
Seriously, if you don't like hats, I won't make you wear them. You don't really have a choice about our daddy-son picture with matching hats (Hey, I'm still trying to get over 100 likes for a profile pic, and, uh, thanks in advance!). Until you learn to talk and make your opinions known like a grown-ass man, you don't have a choice. Yeah, you’re going to have to learn that you have to be strong to have choices. The world will try to control you, and you're going to have to learn to stand on your own. You're going to learn. That's how life works, but you'll have me here to teach you, don't worry. And if for some reason I'm not, you've got some crazy cool aunts and uncles that helped me become the man I am: They will do the same for you if I can't...
That’s just plan B, though. I will be here to tell you how life works; it doesn't. It isn't fair, and it's going to be tough. That's my job, to teach you and guide you through finding your place in this world. I’ll teach you to create your own joy. You’ll need to be passionate about something. This world has a lot to offer you, and you have a lot to offer it, but it won’t ever give you anything that you don’t find for yourself (I can hear myself lecturing teenage you about being bored right now.).
The only thing I ever want from you is for you to care. I would love it if you were to learn to sing and play the guitar; enjoy the outdoors and building a fire in the rain; and keep Sundays open for football. But if you play soccer, the violin, and Magic the Gathering comes back and you are the king of that at your lunch table, I'll make t-shirts and cheer you on (I’m going to embarrass you with how much I love you; get over it.).
I want to tell you things, and I want for you to trust me because I’ve already learned a lot of stuff the hard way. For starters, go to your school dance, and be a man and take the girl you want to take. Just make sure she doesn't dress like a hoochie momma (your mom won't like her if she does—trust me on this one.). When you get there, dance like you don't care who is watching because you won't. If you're not embarrassing your friends on a daily basis, you aren't a good friend, and you probably won't have any, anyway. Dare to be different, and don’t care about what other people say or think. Use the haters as fuel for your workouts, practices, and all the times you need courage.
I realize that my last paragraph was a little assuming, but it’s not exclusive. Hell, if you’re the type of guy that takes a guy to a dance, don’t let him dress like a hoochie momma, either (Moms really just don’t like slutty outfits.). This is the other thing I will teach you through my daily acceptance of who you become: There is the world as it is for everyone, the world as it is for you, and the world as it is going to be. Your world is the only thing you can control, and the world as it will be will be because of you. You can change the world, but it might just be on a smaller scale than you would like. Do it anyway.
No part of my existence cares about anything more than you, Jackson, and I can’t wait to hold you and to tell you everything I know and to teach you everything that I can do. You and me, kid; we’re going to do big things… or small things… or everything.
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