Most of you that read my blog already know that I have 4 kids. I have Brianna who is 16. Bryson who is 15. Brett who is 13. And then Brad my 8 year old. Anyway, when you have 4 kids life can be very challenging sometimes. One of the biggest challenges Angie and I face is dealing with each one of our children's emotional needs. Brett, has been our biggest challenge lately.
When you study birth order, one of the things they say about middle children is that they have a sense of not belonging. They fight to receive attention from parents and others because many times they are being ignored. Being in the middle may cause a child to feel insecure because they may have trouble finding a place in the mix. This describes Brett to a T.
Brett has had a hard year. He is in 7th grade and in the 7th grade girls grow taller than boys. To make matters worse, Brett has a short dad, me, and so in Brett's mind he wonders if he will ever grow at all. To compound the problem further, both Brianna and Bryson, his older sister and brother have had a phenomenal year filled with many successes, and while Brett's year hasn't been a failure by any stretch, when your older sister and brother continue to be recognized it can sometimes get hard to stay happy for them. Brett never complains though. He just internalizes what he feels and sometimes when he and I are all alone he'll ask me questions like "Dad, do you think I will be taller than you?" or "Dad, am I as good at basketball as Bryson was when he was my age?" or "Dad, do you think I have a shot at making the team?" My answer to all those questions is always yes. What else can it be?
What I really want Brett to know is how special he is. I want him to know that it doesn't matter how big he grows to be physically, to me he is a giant because I can see his heart. And his heart is filled with love for people. It's filled with kindness. It's filled with God. I want him to know that he has a great future ahead and that before the foundation of the world, God had uniquely chosen Brett Bouldin as one of His own to be used for His purposes. I want him to know that no matter where he goes or what he does, he'll always have a father whose proud of him, not for anything that he's done...but for who he is. I want him to know that I love him unconditionally and that from the very second he was born he has always been a prized jewel in my life.
Brett...I love you dude! Hang in there! Remember, life really is a journey and not a destination. I hope you are as glad as I am that we are doing it together.
Dad
Brett is an awesome kid! There is no doubt in my mind he will achieve all his goals. It's just too bad he doesn't have a father who has baseball talent to teach him anything.
Posted by: Brett V. | October 19, 2007 at 11:43 AM