My Teenage Son Is Boring AF
And I love it
My son is cool. Not in the, “I’m the swagged out dude in school,” type of way. Meaning more in the laidback, low key confident kind of way.
Call me biased because he is my son. But he’s the sh*t.
Why? Because according to what ‘cool’ means in high school hallways and IG, he doesn’t fit the bill. He may not be the popular guy dudes want to be and all the girls want to date. He’s cool because he knows who he is and what he wants. And works every day to get it.
It just so happens, that most people who operate under the radar, are deemed boring.
I admit, I’ve tried with no avail to get him interested in other things. Especially socially. During junior high school, he went to every party and school dance he could. Then all of a sudden, something inside him clicked. He didn’t want to celebrate his own birthday anymore, or hang out with friends. In his words it was a “waste of time”, or he was “too old” to indulge in such activities.
School is something he always took seriously and enjoyed. Basketball is and was his only hobby. Between his 8th and 9th grade years he took on a whole new form.
At 5am I would awaken to the sound of his alarm clock, and within minutes would hear weights clanging from the basement. Tears would well up in his eyes if his quarter grades weren’t up to his standard.
And here I was, more concerned that he didn’t want to hang with friends. The zest he once had for hanging out had waned. And he doubled up on school and basketball. Those two things were his only focus.
Some kids are bored with school, their family, or life in general. And here my boy is excited to show me how he learned new math. His Grandmother picking him up to take him places or a visit to her house brings a wide smile to his face. Things that don’t seem exciting to the average teenager light my son’s eyes. The little things that don’t look so interesting fuels his soul.
And I love that.
He’s not out there, out there.
He knows who he is and what he wants. And works every day to get it.
I’ve learned that its the boring, tedious, consistent work, that has made some of the seemingly uninteresting people, the most interesting, successful, and happy. By sticking to their truth, that may seem ordinary, it makes them extraordinary.
That’s my son, and I’m proud of that.
