And she loved a little boy very, very much, even more than she loved herself. And she calls him son…
As moms, we make a lot of decisions. Daily decisions…from what to cook for dinner, to prioritizing our children’s activities. But making the decision to allow your eldest child to leave home a full year early to follow his passions and dreams, is one decision no mother really wants to make. I know this wasn’t an easy decision for Heidi, either. But allowing her son the greatest chance of receiving a scholarship into college and to one day play in the major leagues, meant making a decision that I am almost positive, broke her heart a little bit.
As a military family, life is always about saying good bye…whether it’s to our own family members, or to those friends who become like family. Each time we move, we leave a little piece of our heart. With each move, our children are older, our “stuff” changes and the memories of our time in each place are etched forever, somewhere in our hearts. With each move, we prepare for new adventures, make the best of the opportunities afforded to us…and of course, make new friends. It is never easy, but it’s life, and the only life our children know. So as military moms, we do our best to make these memories good ones.
Heidi, Mike and their boys will be leaving the island in just a few short weeks. Being able to spend a little extra time with them before their session, allowed me to get an insight that would often times go unnoticed. The small things that we often take for granted, or the unspoken words that we assume the other knows.
One of those discoveries, were the words of their oldest son. Those words that often go unspoken. The things we assume others already know. When a 16 year old boy opens up and tells you how he feels about his parents, it can be quite emotional. This summer Josh will leave his family to attend boarding college on the East Coast, while his parents and brothers make the military transition to Alaska.
“My mom is my rock, my solid foundation. She reminds me that when I’m having a bad day, that it’s JUST a bad day, not a bad life.”
“I am the man I am today, because of my dad. If it weren’t for him throwing the baseball with me in the yard all those years ago, I wouldn’t be were I am today.”
Getting a glimpse of how your child really feels at their deepest, is such a joy for any parent. Heidi and Mike have done an amazing job of raising their sons, despite the constant changes that military life has thrown at them. I hope when they look at the art work on their walls, they will be forever reminded of the incredible young men they are raising.
