...
from Brett (dad)
I
came to the realization a few weeks ago that my son, halfway through
his sophomore year in high school, had about 30 months to go until he
graduated. Soon after that, he will be gone - off to college, maybe
never to live with us full time again. (A parent can dream, right?)
I
was struck by how many places in my life I have good intentions, but I
don't always follow through. I don't want to drop my son off at college
with a bucketful of regrets - things I wished we had done, experiences I
wished we had shared. So I set about to be intentional about mazimizing
the time I have left with son living in my home as a teenager.
Another
factor that I quickly needed to take into account is how different we
are! I could think of something off the top of my head with my daughter,
and she would likely say, "I was just thinking of that too!" But my son
and I have very different temperaments and personalities. Thankfully,
we both love Jesus and want to serve him. We just see the world
differently sometimes. I've learned to embrace that - but that is
another post for another time.
So,
how could I be intentional about getting the most out of my time with
my son, do it in a way that had the highest likelihood of actually
happening, and do things that HE would really want to do, as opposed to
what I think he should like to do!?!?
So here is what I came up with: 30 Things in 30 Months - A "Bucket List" for My Son's Remaining Years in High School. To be honest, I'm pretty sure the movie, The Bucket List and the TV show My Name is Earl influenced me, but who cares?
So
I told him about the idea and -- here's the genius -- I put him in
charge. I asked him to make a list of 30 things he'd like to do with me
before he graduates from high school. In 3 days, he had 25. I'm sure it
will go beyond 30, and we'll whittle it down.
Some
things I was happy to see on the list - college road trip to Boston
(where I grew up) and snowboarding. Some surprises to: he wants to find
another father-son duo to read a Christian book together and meet weekly
to talk about it.
I'm
so grateful God whispered this idea in my ear (He uses all kinds of
tools to speak to His kids). And I'm excited that my son pounced on the
idea.
Now,
my prayer is for follow through, and for finances - the kid's got some
expensive ideas. But I am trusting God to provide these opportunities
for meaningful experiences that my son (and I) can look back on in the
years and decades ahead.
I'll post the list as soon as we have it. Maybe I'll include the things that didn't make the list as well.
I'm looking forward to this Great Adventure with my son!