The Importance of Success for Our Children

I am living the life of a music mom these days. My 16-year old son, Jesse, leads a band named Red 22. They are made up of young but talented musicians who want to succeed and have fun at the same time. The band is close-knit and work very well together. They have six paid gigs lined up so far this year, all of which are sideline acts for athletic events. They are naturally excited and are putting a lot of effort into frequent band practice sessions.

I believe they are also learning life lessons without even realizing it. They have had to go through some tough times together. It has not all been smooth sailing by far. They have been confronted with difficult situations and decisions. They have lost band members along the way due to various circumstances. They have made many good decisions, and they have also made many mistakes. The important thing is that they seem to have learned a lot along the way. 

For a while it seemed this was all Jesse wanted, to be in a band. He recently shared with me that, while he would love to perform music for a living, he realizes he has to be realistic. That was a profound moment for me. I learned that my son is mature enough to recognize the importance of his education first. He is going to think with his head and not his heart. Most of us can attest to the fact that the heart can be deceiving sometimes.

As an honors student with a 4.2 GPA, I have encouraged Jesse to keep striving to do his very best. He is a good candidate for the National Honor Society in the future, and possibly even a Harvard-bound student. I would like him to shoot for the sky when it comes to his dreams, success in music and education. I am proud of him for finding a healthy balance in his life when it comes to both. It is important as a parent to lead by example, to work hard and never give up.