And Boys Will Be Men

You have to do your own growing no matter how tall your grandfather was.
Abraham Lincoln

Fishing Derby, 1996 - One of my favorite photos of Tim, Jeff & Doug

This year has been one full of big changes in our household and family. This weekend I was looking through some old photographs and found many that were scout related. All of our boys joined Boy Scouts of America when they were in first grade. Our oldest is an Eagle Scout; the middle one reached the rank of Star; and the youngest, Life.

All of them have managed to do their best to live by the Scout Oath and Law. I am convinced that their participation in scouting, along with homeschooling and the occasional nudge from their dad and I, played a big part in their growth from boyhood to young adulthood.

Philmont Training Center, 2000 - Doug, Tim & Jeff

Our youngest son turned 18 back in February. That same month, he accepted a job working for a video game design and development company. He worked on projects from home, while also attending college. By June, he had moved 9 hours from home, taking a full time position with the company, in a small town in Missouri.

Philmont - Tent City, 2000

Our middle son, now 20, completed his Bachelors Degree in Mathematics, along with a teaching certificate, in May. He decided to begin working on his Masters Degree in Mathematics this fall; he was fortunate to receive a teaching assistant position at the university, too.

Our oldest son is 22 and has entered the world of working full time, plying his trade as an IT professional. He has a true talent for this kind of work that is appreciated by his employers. He also continues to maintain his own computer repair business, which he has worked since he was 14!

Owasippe Scout Reservation, 2011 - My husband, David; father-in-law, Bill; Tim, Jeff & Doug..

All of them have found their own path in life. They have managed to do what one of my old high school instructors always said to do: Find something you love to do, along with a way to make a living doing it, and you will be happy.

Our sons have been fortunate to have good male role models in their father and their grandfathers. Add to that their own learning styles and they have also managed to do their “own growing.”

I enjoy looking back on the old pictures from their boyhoods, but I enjoy watching the men they are all becoming even more.