Braden

The first in a series of letters to my son

This year you are 15. You have been a teenager for 2 years now however you acted more like a "teenager" when you were 12. You are more mature now, but the talking back and acting out seemed to be more when you were 12. I should have known as you went through the terrible two's when you were 1 years old and by the time you were two you were so great. You are so handsome and you have an artistic, scheduled, organized personality. Most boys your age who are handsome have mean spirited personalities but you have a loving kind personality that I can see by the way you treat your family and your girlfriend. I can see you making good choices with grades, attitude, and in your choice of friends. I remember in 2nd or 3rd grade you wrote a a few words on what was "important in a friend" and the top thing on your list was that they were "clean". You told me you didn't want to hang out with students who got in trouble, and I could see you hanging out with some of the nicest boys in the class. It didn't matter to you if they were overweight, short, tall or different. They were clean and nice so they were your friend. I am very proud of you for that, because choosing the right friends is very important. You are grounded in your beliefs and I am proud when you say "I wont take drugs Mom, I am not that stupid". I know you are a very intelligent boy and you wont take drugs, drink alcohol or smoke just because other kids do it. You have a quieter relationship with God, but I am happy when I see on your school admission forms that you think Jesus is your best friend and you talk to him daily. Remember that he can and wants to help you with everything you do. Your a superb swimmer and I love to watch you swim whether at practice or at a swim meet. Even though you like to win races, you mostly swim to beat your own times. You also love to draw. You draw great pictures and are especially talented at drawing architecture. You have loved architecture since you were a baby. You loved to look at buildings and in every nook and cranny. I remember when you were 3 and you room was on the second floor. We told you you were right above us and you said "not exactly my bed is over there" pointing exactly to the location of your bed a floor above. You love to tease by wrestling with your dad and pestering your sis and I. Such as when you place thin cardboard boxes under my memory foam or put honey on my toilet seat. You like the color blue. You also enjoy Lego's, PSP, your cell phone (an LG that you say means "life's good" and that life is good with an LG phone), taping home made movies of Lego still life, and food The best way to get a compliment from you is to make you your favorite foods (Vegetarian burgers, cheese roast, Fri chick and rice, pizza), although you are appreciative of just about anything we do for you. School was difficult for you but only in the reading department, you have alway done excellent in math. You are so intelligent, but couldn't show it because of the reading. We did different reading programs in the summer and read books all year till finally in 5th grade, we gave up and prayed about it. That year you went from reading at a beginning 2nd grade level to a beginning 5th grade level and continued to improve each year. Now you are getting all A's and B's, and your Dad and I are so proud. You are very self sufficient too. You can do laundry, cook food and clean the house when I need you to. You are an organizer ad you used to organize my wallet for me. The thing you like the most is to "leave on time and arrive early". Arriving late is the worst thing for you. You are very helpful with anything we ask you to do. I especially like help in reading things, lifting heavy items and carrying in the groceries. Your nicknames are Brady, Brady boy, Big Guy, Buddy and "B" is what your sister called you when she first started talking. I love you more than you will ever know and I pray that you will continue to grow closer to Jesus everyday. I also pray that you will continue to make great choices in life and that you will continue to date and eventually marry a girl who loves Jesus and treats you like the handsome prince that you are.

Love, Mom