I'm Proud of Our Teens

I’m proud of our teens.

Mine will have his first day of in-person school on Monday.

Which means for over a year now, he’s been taking classes via endless zoom meetings from home.

Day after day after day.

Can you imagine??

Every morning FOR A YEAR he set his alarm and rubbed the sleep from his eyes and bundled up with a blanket and parked himself in front of his computer screen.

He took Geometry and Advanced English and Health Science and Spanish and Honors Chemistry.

I mean, who can do Chemistry virtually???

Not me.

Sure, there were plenty of mornings I’d peek my head in and find him watching basketball highlights with his headphones on.

Or sometimes around 10AM I’d discover him at the stove cooking a breakfast sandwich in the middle of what should’ve been Spanish class.

And yes, many MANY assignments were marked as late.

And I worried. Is he okay? Is he learning ANYTHING?? Is he figuring this out? Is he falling behind???

He’s on Spring Break this week, and today he told me his updated GPA going into fourth quarter.

3.6

I will never forget the look of pride on his face.

Because you know who did it for him???

Himself.

And you know how he did it???

He showed up.

He showed up to zoom meetings and early morning Driver’s Ed. He showed up to weekly Covid testing before after-school basketball practices and abided by several rounds of quarantine. He showed up to LIFE despite cancelled tournaments and postponed activities and socially distanced events.

The kid SHOWED UP.

He showed up to every single thing the world threw at him without having ANY SAY AT ALL.

I know we worry sometimes about this next generation.

We say they’re tech-obsessed. Glued to their phones. Unengaged. Overly entitled.

“Kids these days!!” we say.

But look at the way our brilliant young people JUST KEEP SHOWING UP!!!

Isn’t that half the battle???

Putting your butt in the seat? Raising your hand in the air? Getting your foot in the door? Rolling with the endless punches? Planting your feet at the three-point line again and again? Following your shot????

I told him he should be SO proud.

I know I am.

Now I’m watching him snack from the world’s most gigantic bag of Ruffles from Costco as he plays video games and laughs with his younger brothers on the couch and I’m just thinking…

‘Yeah, kids these days. The possibilities are endless.’