Lies of a Story Teller

Letter To My Son

This is a weird letter thing that I wrote as another English assignment. She wanted us to write a letter to our son giving him advice on a bunch of weird stuff. Money. Women. School. Haha I dunno.

What's funny is I go all in to it and wrote like three Word pages.

No, I don't actually have a son that lives in Santa Barbara. -FO97

Boaz

2020 Lunatic L.

Santa Barbara, CA 71969

Dear Boaz,

The things I want to tell you and the things that I need to tell you are two entirely different things. There’s just too much to cover. The problems that you might encounter, the obstacles that you’ll need to overcome, the pleasures that I want you to experience. . .there’s too much to say and too little time to say it. Then again, I have to take into consideration what you’ll actually listen to. . .I suppose I can’t expect you to regard all my advice. Being my son, I suppose you are entitled to a bit of rebellion. . .but don’t let that go to your head, kiddo. I’ve narrowed down my list. There are definitely some subjects in which I think any developing man could use some advice: how you should act in the world we live in, the touchy and desperately vague topic of the opposite sex, and exactly where your future should take you.

It’s sad the world we live in. It’s sad that people feel obligated to act the way the world wants them to. Between drugs, sex, and love any young man can get swept away. It’s not a nice world that we live in, but that’s no excuse for acting out yourself. I’m here to encourage you to be your own person and make the right decisions. Don’t follow the crowd. It’s a wide and popular path that the world takes, but as the Bible says in Romans 12:2, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” Follow God’s will. Let Him guide your life and actions. This is the path that will bring you to success and righteousness. Of course, that sounds like a difficult task all in its self, but begin with simple steps. I’ve raised you this way, but to reiterate, be polite, be generous, think of others, know what you believe, know why you believe it, and do things that agree with your beliefs. Don’t bow to the evils of this world...you’re guaranteed to save yourself a world of hurt if you listen to this small bit of advice.

I’m not experienced in this. In fact, I consider myself naïve. Worse than naïve. Whatever worse than naïve is, I am that. But I still feel I can give you a small inkling of an idea when you come across this in your life (because one day, you will) and hopefully my grotesquely simple advice will help you in the future concerning man’s most valuable and notorious possession: women. The first thing that needs to be said, no matter how many times you’ve heard it, is that a woman is not an object. She is not a toy, she is not a passing trend, she is not some game to be played and then thrown away. A woman is a person. Like you, she has feelings, thoughts, and emotions. Like you, she has desires, needs, and beliefs. If all a woman cares about is your money or your car or your company or your habits, then she is not the woman for you, because, like you, she is viewing you as an object. One day, however, you might find a girl who’s nice, funny, endearing, maybe even beautiful, and chances are she will be the girl that you want to get to know better. The girl who could be right for you. There are a few ways to go about getting a girl to notice you. . .none of them work. To be honest, getting a girl to notice you does not work. She’s already done that. Girls are hyper-observant. Not only has she noticed you by this time, she’s taken note of the way you walk, the way you chew your lower lip when you concentrate, and how much dirt you have under your fingernails. The thing about it is, unless she takes an immediate interest in you, you’ll have to make the first move. This is hard. Especially for guys who are shy or have low self esteems. The easiest way for guys like that is to make a friend before making a date. Introduce yourself, get to know her, introduce your friends, meet her friends, and, should the two of you hit it off, then try going somewhere with it. Maybe ask her to lunch, go to a movie, do some homework...spend time in each other’s company. This is the only way to know for sure whether or not you might like this girl. Once you’ve accomplished most of that stuff, you’ve got a few options. Consider marriage and make the next great step in your life or break up with her and go back to your shared Art Appreciation class and wish you hadn’t screwed up.

Every parent wants the best for their child. Of course, they do. Why wouldn’t they? The strange thing is, I’m not sure that’s exactly what I want for you. I don’t want the best. I want your best. Does that make sense? I want you to strive for the best that you can be and never give up. When you commit to something, follow through with it. Don’t quit. And don’t think this only applies when other people are counting on you. I expect you to finish your own projects, meet your own goals, and prove to yourself that you are, and always can be, a successful individual. This applies to many things. The way that you handle school, money, and your personal life. Which brings us to a couple of interesting and important topics.  The first is school. You are becoming a man. You practically are a man. It is your responsibility to act like it. College is right on top of you and you’re going to have to learn to deal with it. Do your homework, even if you’re not good at it. Finish strong, even if your attempt was weak. I’m not going to lie to you. College is going to be difficult on many, many levels. The negative influences can knock you over if you don’t keep an eye out. Be careful, Bo. It’s an ugly world in college. Even the strongest of people can fall. Consequently, this applies to much of life and not just college. Your finances, are a big one. Watch your money. Know what’s coming in, know what’s going out. Save as much as you think you can as often as you think you can. Here’s the truth. The first couple years of college will be smooth sailing. You’ll have plenty of scholarships to hold you up. After that. . .well, things start going downhill. This is why it’s smart to hold on to some cash in case you get in a tight spot. You can’t pay your rent, you need food, you need clothes, you can’t pay your monthly loan payments. . .anything can happen. Be prepared, stay away from credit cards, be honest, and do your best. . .you’ll do fine. 

And I’ve come to my final statements. Don’t take that to mean these are the least of my statements. Each is just as important as the other. Take them all into consideration. When you go off on your own, I honestly can’t say I expect you to make all the right decisions. What I can expect of you, is when you make a mistake, learn from it. Don’t repeat them. I heard this verse somewhere and had to look it up. “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness, so that the man of God may be thoroughly equipped for every good work.” 2 Timothy: 16-17

This is probably some of the best advice I can give you. Stick to God. He’ll show you where you need to go a lot better than I ever will be able to.

Love ya, kiddo. Don’t forget it,

FlyOn97