Today my son was born
I cannot hardy contain myself – the weight of it and the wonder
Today, my son was born.
I spent years – decades really, waiting on him, preparing for him, finding his mother – ensuring that she was strong and able in all the ways I am not. I wanted to make sure I found someone that is better at expressing emotion better than I am. In case you haven’t noticed I use humor to dance around how I really feel, that’s a great coping mechanism, but not so good at letting a boy know where he stands in the world.
So I found a wonderful woman to be his mom, and MONTHS listening to her talk about baby clothes and nursery decorations. Important, without a doubt, but as a man, a prospective father I was worried more about how to teach him how to be a man.
It started with choosing his name, which I was able to do before I found his mom (it took me longer to convince her to agree to the name then it did to find it).
I wanted a strong name, a historical guidepost. But it had to be common enough not to get undue playground attention… I choose William Tell. Now most people are familiar with the story of how William Tell shot the arrow off his son’s head, and many people know it is because he refused to bow to the hat of a noble that was placed in the court square as a symbol of oppression.
Fewer know that William Tell drew two arrows that day, and after he shot the arrow off his son’s head the nobleman asked him why he drew two arrows since he obviously would not get a second try. William replied “Because if my first arrow killed my son, my second would kill you”… Obviously the nobleman did not appreciate the honesty or the sentiment so he took him into custody.
William escaped, killed the noble, and started the revolution that started the Swiss Federation.
Good story, it shows a man that is skillful, confident, honest, bold, and not afraid to stand for what is right even if it costs him. All ideals I want William to hold dear. These are the ideals that our Country needs but is losing.
But it does not stop there, I am sneaky…
William Tell is also a primary character in one of the best western series of all time, Louis L’Amour’s Sackett Series (in the movie he is played by Sam Elliot). Tell’s dad tells him he named him after a man he admired for his ability to shoot, and for doing what’s right.
I plan on spending a lot of time with Tell reading him Louis L’Amour westerns, outside the Bible, I doubt there are few places that pack so much knowledge on being a man than in those books.
As I look at him, I marvel, I see so much potential, a blank slate.
I wonder who he will grow to be. But as I wonder and wish for him to have a happy and successful life I don’t wish for him to be richer or have more, or easier a life than I have had – But I do want him to be happier, stronger, better prepared, more able to adapt. I want him to be the type of man that other men look to in crisis, a leader, a man with an unshakable moral foundation. I want him to be better than me.
I don’t care what he decides to do for a living, as long as he works hard at it, and is the best he can be.
I want the best for him, and for him to get it, I realize how much I have to do to help him prepare. My life has changed forever because…
Today my son was born