My Son My Little Warrior

I took my son to the airport. He was about to fly on his own. This wasn’t the first time. He did Portland-Los Angeles roundtrip three times in the past. The first time he did that trip when he was 9, I was so proud. I saw my little boy transformed little by little to become a man.

But this time it was different. He wasn’t just going to be a state away in California. He was going to be half a globe away in an entirely different continent, different country, Indonesia.

As a father, of course I was worried. He is only 10, about to be 11 in September 2012. There are still so much tenderness and innocence in him. For about a week leading to this day, I spent time to talk about life with him, from the topic of art, music, universe, victorious mindsets, and of course, girls.

But as a father, of course I was the most proud too. I am humbled for the privilege to shape his soul to be the warrior that he is. What I find glorious is that it is not just me who shape him. He shapes me too through his childlike point of view. My son reminds me of who I am inside, a warrior with a childlike heart.

He put on his 2 metallic badges on his Domo carry-on to remind him of his past victories of going to Los Angeles by himself. I could feel his pride and confidence as he put those on. I asked him how he was feeling, which he answered with a big smile, “Excited!”

We ate at our favorite place before taking him to the boarding area. Then as we were sitting down, waiting at the gate, we enjoyed our beverages, a dark-roast coffee for me and green-tea latte for him. We continued talking about the mindset of a warrior who always keeps going from glory to a greater glory, just like what he was doing as he took on this trip to a different part of the world.

As we were about to part, I looked him in the eyes and said, “I am proud of you, Cyan. I am proud to be your father. You are my little warrior, a Ninja in the making. Have fun and enjoy the trip!”

He gave me a hug and as the flight attendant walked him out, he shouted one last thing, “See you in three months!”

As I walked to the parking garage, I felt so much pride in me. I could feel little tears of gratitude in my eyes.

My son. My little warrior.

—
Bro Chan – Life Coach