13 Life Lessons for my Son on his 13th Birthday

Parents. You know how this goes, right? We can’t believe our kids are one month old, then six months, then they’re one, two, ten years and so on. And so here I am, the day of my son’s thirteenth birthday, wondering where the hell the last 13 years have gone? How did this happen? How has he morphed into something that requires deodorant and frequent showers? Where did my chubby faced, giggly, lover of all things Elmo – little boy go? After all, I haven’t aged a bit, how could he?

Every year and all the days, from the moment I knew he was coming into this world, I think of all the hopes and wishes I have for him. And so on his very special birthday, the one in which he becomes a teenager, I share these 13 life lessons with him:

1. You are a masterpiece. Flawed and imperfect, but made in God’s eyes. There is not a single other person in the world just like you. What a blessing. Embrace it. Own it. Live it.
2. Listen to your gut. Trust it. Act on it. Even if it means you’re swimming against the current. Your life doesn’t have to look everyone else’s. It only needs to look like YOURS.
3. No matter what it is, you will survive. The moment, the day, the week. No matter what, you will make it through. With faith and love, you will make it through.
4. Authenticity. Look it up. Be it. Practice it. Does a fake $100 dollar bill have as much value as a real one? Ummm. No. The same goes for you. You are most valued AS YOU ARE.
5. The moment your brain says, ‘…but what if I fail’, interrupt it with, ‘…but what if I FLY’.
6. Love. Lead with it. Live it. Breathe it. Especially when it seems the hardest thing to do.
7. You will make mistakes. It’s okay to do so. Embrace them. Learn from them. And then move on.
8. Forgive. It is the best and most impactful gift you can give yourself.
9. Grace. God gives it. Remember it. Embrace it. Demonstrate it.
10. Less Judging, more loving. The moment we judge others is the moment we stop loving ourselves.
11. Give. Your heart. Your time. Your love.
12. Laugh. Often. At yourself and with others, but not at others. Find the joyful moments in every day, your life will always be better for it.
13. Be Strong and Courageous. Joshua 1:9 Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.

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