A Pat on the Back

Son,

I love ya, 

That just ain’t no other way to say it than that,

That’s why you deserve a pat on the back,

Though your life may have had its problems,

You’ve understood that there is no life hack,

And you’ve come through so far,

Intact.

I was there when your mother conceived you,

Don’t whine and whence at the idea,

For without it you would not be here,

I was there for your first plane ride,

I was by myself with only you,

Though you were two at the time,

You slept through the ride,

And were a welcome relief for the ride home.

I was there with your first bike,

And no it was not a trike,

The training wheels you would not part with,

And I suppose I could see why,

Although I wished that you had learned sooner,

Then when you got your second bike.

I was there for your baptism,

Never I had I felt prouder,

For I knew that you might forever be,

Under my watchful eye.

In school you were never the best,

I watched as your teachers,

Never complimented your best,

They simply sought your worst,

You made life hard,

But I tried to make it easier,

And so you graduated,

I became happy for a time,

Knowing that you could take care of yourself,

A little bit.

The vacations that we had, 

Were awesome,

Through road trips,

In canyons,

Bitter cold,

Blazing heat,

Down mountains,

Around battlefields,

Over oceans,

Across beaches,

Visiting cities,

All the time that we spent,

Was worth it to bond more closely.

So son,

I say this to you now,

Raising you to be a man,

To have you become a friend,

Was worth it,

But you will forever,