Encourage Their Dreams

So. You are a parent of a five-foot five-inch, sixteen-year-old son. A son whose dream is to be a professional basketball player. Who lives and breathes the game of basketball. He eats his breakfast with his ball tucked under one arm. And sleeps with it nestled on the pillow next to him at night. Except for the game of roundball, there’s not much else that commands him time and attention. Not even the pretty girls at school, who endlessly flirt and coax him to spend time with them.

Your lovable, dedicated, basketball-consumed child is either practicing his dribbling, working on his outside shot, or engrossed in the latest news of his favorite NBA team. There is not a statistic on any of the team’s players that he doesn’t have committed to memory. They’ve not played a game this year that he hasn’t watched, eyes sparkling, muscles twitching, and mouth almost drooling. 

This kid is eaten alive with basketball. The promise of the daily practice times under the watchful eyes of his high school basketball coach drives him to endure those dull teachers in his classes. Until he finally gets to escape the drudgery and head to his home – the gym.

You realized it a few years ago. Your house is really not his home – it’s only the place where he can eat, sleep and tune into the latest basketball news. Home to him is a smelly, drafty, echoing cavern – otherwise known as his school’s basketball gymnasium. But to listen to him talk, it should be called Heaven. His team mates should be addressed as almost angels. And according to him, bowing your head reverently when you speak of his coach, the awesome Coach Cameron, should be a given.

Your son is driven and extremely determined to live his goal in life. To play in the NBA. At five foot five inches tall in his basketball shoes. And absolutely nothing can dissuade the boy. No amount of reasoning from his not-extremely-tall dad and mom. Nor the endless kidding and almost cruel mockery from his brother. 

His mind is set in concrete. He believes he can make this happen. That if he eats enough healthy food, exercises, and prays to God for growth, that his body will eventually be tall enough to play in the NBA. 

What do you say? What do you do to make him realize the truth of his situation, and move on to a more attainable goal? Listen to me closely.  

NOT A THING. 

Don’t discourage, don’t ridicule, don’t logically rationalize. Instead, encourage him to aim high in life. Give him all the support and love a teenager needs from his parents. Show him that you believe in him. That is your job as his mom and dad. 

Believe me, if his long-held vision doesn’t pan out, the world is very eager and capable of dousing every flicker and flame of hope he holds. He certainly doesn’t need his loved ones doing the same thing to him.