A letter to my son after soccer tryouts...
Dear Tyler,
I just want to tell you how
proud I am that YOU are my son. YOU are amazing. YOU are incredible. YOU are a legend. We love & adore you so much, & it’s hard for me (& Daddy) to explain to you what we feel when you are upset, which is why I’m
writing this letter. You worked so hard this week at soccer tryouts. You made the effort to go to bed early, hydrated all day & worked your tail off at tryouts. We are so proud of your work ethic, focus & determination. It broke our hearts to read texts messages stating that 3 of your buddies & teammates made the team, but our phones were quiet.
When your heart hurts, my heart hurts right along with yours… times a million. I love you unconditionally. To love you unconditionally also means that I have to allow you to experience hard life lessons like failure. I actually want you to make lots of mistakes and experience failure now so that Daddy and I can be here to lift you up, encourage you, guide you and show you how failure is just success in progress!
When your heart hurts, my heart hurts right along with yours… times a million. I love you unconditionally. To love you unconditionally also means that I have to allow you to experience hard life lessons like failure. I actually want you to make lots of mistakes and experience failure now so that Daddy and I can be here to lift you up, encourage you, guide you and show you how failure is just success in progress!
Here is a little secret you
might not know yet. We don’t expect you to do things perfectly. IN FACT, we expect
you to FAIL more than you SUCCEED! You are very capable of success in your
life, but you really haven’t had much practice with failure. Practice with
anything makes us better & failure teaches us valuable life lessons.
You see, Ty-guy, this might
sound crazy, but failure is just as important as success. In fact, there are
times when it might be more valuable than success. When we
fail to meet a goal, we develop a DRIVE to work harder. We value an
accomplishment more if we failed at it first. Right?!
So buddy, take that risk and even if you don’t achieve what you want in the 1st or 2nd time you try, you will learn more about how to achieve it next time. You will be tougher and stronger for it. You will develop a better understanding of yourself and other people because of it. Compassion, resilience, grit and a strong work ethic are all learned from failure. The more practice we give you to navigate these “bumpy roads” while you are living with us, the better you will navigate tougher roads when you are on your own.
So buddy, take that risk and even if you don’t achieve what you want in the 1st or 2nd time you try, you will learn more about how to achieve it next time. You will be tougher and stronger for it. You will develop a better understanding of yourself and other people because of it. Compassion, resilience, grit and a strong work ethic are all learned from failure. The more practice we give you to navigate these “bumpy roads” while you are living with us, the better you will navigate tougher roads when you are on your own.
Never forget that Daddy &
I love you whether you win or you lose. You are just as capable, just as
intelligent and just as clever as anyone in this world. Tyler, you are a
legend! You are just going to have to try and keep trying. Don’t you ever give
up! Find the strength within you. It is there; look for it. You can accomplish
anything you put your mind to, but it will take immense effort & some
disappointment along the way.
I will always believe in you &
don’t you ever lose sight of your dreams!
I love you more,
Mama xoxo
“It’s not wanting to win that makes you a winner; it’s refusing to fail.” - Peyton Manning
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