17 is full of possibilities.
My son, you are more than I could ever have imagined. As a single mother, I feared you. Raising a child was not what I expected to be doing at 22. You interrupted my life. It seemed so full on the outside. But it was all a facade.
Having you made me realize what true love really was. The fairy tales had it wrong. Prince Charming and I would not live happily ever after. That was not true love. True love was pulling all nighters with an asthmatic child. It was watching you struggle and holding my breath till you drew yours. True love was not a fairy tale. It was my baby child.
As you grew, so did I.
We attended college together. I at 25, with my little boy by my side.
It amazes me still to see you now. You are my “Manchild in the Promised Land”. And, poverty did not hold you down.
17 is invincible.
As a child, you told me, you were scared to walk ahead. You wanted me to stay by your side. You said, “Don’t leave me Mommy. I don’t want to be alone.” I recall holding you tight and whispering, “I’m right beside you.”
Now the years have passed, and you, my son, have grown. At 17, you graduated from high school, started a new journey, and moved several miles from home.
17 marked the year of invincibility. You were no longer scared to walk alone.
17 is fearless.
“Fear was the number one immobilizer of potential; fear of failure, fear of being too much or too little… just fear across the board. I saw it freeze people, I felt it freeze me.” – Karl Rivera
At 17, you learned that lacking fear does not make one courageous, the ability to face it does. And so you faced it head on. Accepting new adventures, you started a house in college called LIFE, an acronym for Leadership & Innovation Fuel Empowerment.
Leading by example, you have shown me and others that 17 is more than just 17 birthdays.
17 is a milestone.
Let’s talk! What do you recall most about being 17? Share it in a comment below! Added benefit, EVERY comment provides a vaccine for a child so that they can reach a milestone of their own.
This post is inspired by Shot@Life, an initiative of the United Nations Foundation that educates, connects and empowers the championing of vaccines as one of the most cost effective ways to save the lives of children in the world’s hardest to reach places.
During Shot@Life’s Blogust, 31 bloggers, one each day in August, are writing about moments that matter. For every comment on this post and the 30 other posts, Walgreens will donate a vaccine (up to 50,000 vaccines). A child dies every 20 seconds from a vaccine-preventable disease. We can change this reality and help save kids’ lives!
Sign up HERE for a daily email so you can quickly and easily comment and share every day during Blogust! Stay connected with Shot@Life at www.shotatlife.org, join the campaign on Facebook and follow them on Twitter.
{ 83 comments… add one }
Migdalia, your post gave me goosebumps. “It was watching you struggle and holding my breath until you drew yours.” Wow, that says it all.
The apple doesn’t fall far from the tree and your son is courageous like you are.
Yay Shot@Life, #Blogust and Walgreens for supporting vaccines around the world!
Thank you @Emily McKhann! As he grew, so did I. My prayer is that via Shot@Life, #Blogust and Walgreens, others will have the same opportunity.
Thanks for sharing your story!
For me, 17 was both traumatic and hopeful. I had a pretty damaging childhood, both from illness and from abuse – 17 was the age I started considering my only way out was college, and I was determined to do it. 17 was when I was damn determined to walk down the aisle at graduation no matter what. I’m glad I’ve made it through that age and beyond, but I’m also glad that I had the strength back then, and that there was a guidance counselor who believed in me.
filfda We are kindred souls, mine was as well. I was on my own at such a young age (15). He changed my life. He showed me what love really was and made me believe all things were possible. And they are… for him, for me, for YOU. Thank you so much for your comment and for providing a Shot@Life to another. {{Big hugs}}
Thanks for lending a post to help children in need!
And thank you Patricia La Brie for providing a vaccine with your comment!
Kleenex, please!
Lovely, sweet post. You have every right to be proud.
Cathy Chester recently posted..Wordless Wednesday: A Day At The Beach Will Always Lift Your Spirits
Cathy Chester I actually had one near me *Sniff.Sniff* and they were all tears of joy! Imagining how many children in need would be able to get vaccines, and face their own possibilities, is just so amazing!
I remember 17. Oh, those were the years! Thanks for sharing!
Me too Lyssa and I like his 17 way better!
Congratulations on 17 and helping with vaccines!
And thank you Susan for commenting and providing a vaccine!
What a touching story you tell, Migdalia! It’s the amazing twist you never expected when you plan to have children…how much they help you become a better adult.
Linda You are so right! Children take but also give so much in return, unconditionally. They make life fuller. That’s why I am so glad that Walgreens has teamed up with #Blogust to provide one vaccine per comment because every child deserves a future of possibilities.
This is such a beautiful post, Migdalia. Thanks for sharing your story with us!
Becky Thank you for taking the time to read and provide a vaccine!
Wow, I would like to hear more about balancing college with a child. I would think that to be nearly impossible. Good luck to your son in finding his future career and making it a reality in the years to come.
Thank you Stephen Duden for your words of encouragement. It’s because of people like you rooting him on, that he believes that the world is so full.
TFS!
~Diane in TN
Diane Glasgow YW!
Thanks for sharing! I wish all the best for you and your son…
Thanks for sharing!
Thanks for sharing!
Thank you !
No easy feat being a single mom. I think it was probably scary for both mom and son to make sure he came ahead strong. Great job mom!
Christine @ Oatmeal Bowl recently posted..Lake Tahoe Marathon Training: Week 9 of 15
You’re right Christine @ Oatmeal Bowl! I grew as he grew. Sometimes I wonder, if he raised me into adulthood! 🙂
Yet, in the end, what matters is he grew, unlike so many who may not have that opportunity without a vaccine. Thank you for providing one today with your comment! {{Hugs}}
I am inspired by shot@life. Thanks for sharing your story!
And thank you for providing a vaccine with your comment Shanna!
Thank you for sharing the story of your fine young 17 year old.
Thank you Veramur for taking the time to read and to provide a vaccine with your comment!
What a beautiful post. You have so much to be proud of–you’re an inspiration! Shepherding each of our children to adulthood is truly an accomplishment. Brava!
Jill Simpson It’s one of my biggest accomplishments and the one I am most proud of, being a Mom. 🙂 Thank you so much for leaving a comment and for providing a child in need with a vaccine!
Seventeen is awesome. And you’re so right about it being an age when fearless means facing fears. It was the year I graduated high school and moved away from home for college. It’s an awesome year, full of opportunity.
S recently posted..Experience Junkie
S, I agree! So many possibilities!
Migdalia, thank you for the post. Your son seems great–17 is a difficult age for many. Confronting the fear and the promise of a future all at once. How much easier it is with a parent who advocates for you, cheers you on, and supports you throughout each step. Thanks for helping Walgreens, Shot@Life and all of us unlock vaccines, to give children a shot at being 17!
Thank you Frank for your comment! As a parent, I hope that I have provided him and my other son with the skills to succeed, not as the world says but in a way that will fill him. As a blogger, I hope my voice will have the greatest impact for the greatest good possible. My help with #Blogust, Walgreens, and Shot@Life combines both of these hopes and dreams so that more children can reach their own possibilities!
Ahh 17 , I was excited to be driving, my dad even bought me a car.
Karen That must have been so exciting 🙂 Thank you for commenting and providing a vaccine!
I can only imagine how proud you must feel. I feel it, just looking at that photo of your handsome son.
So glad you are part of Shot@Life!
Julie Marsh recently posted..Race report: The 2013 Ironman 70.3 Boulder
Julie Marsh Thank you. He’s a great kid, made it very easy 🙂 And I am honored to be a part of Shot@Life! It’s an amazing initiative.
I remember when I was seventeen and my baby boy was one year old. I thought I knew about love, but my son taught me what love is. Each of my four children has expanded my understanding of love. Now, it’s my grandchildren that are deepening my understanding of love. Love is the most wonderful and transforming experience in life.
“Love is the most wonderful and transforming experience in life.” Connie Flores This line in your comment sums it all up so beautifully. Thank you for spreading that love and providing a vaccine!
What an amazing story. I admire you.
Dorit Reiss He made it easy 🙂
What a beautiful tribute to your son. Kudos for being a wonderful single mom, raising a MAN!
LaShaun recently posted..Disney Channel’s TEEN BEACH MOVIE
Thank you LaShaun! My Manchild and I have a wonderful support system. 🙂
I, too, have a 17 year old son, and you have wonderfully expressed the beauty and potential our man-children have at this age.
Thank you!
Thank you. I love 17 Kate K.It’s full of so many possibilities for them and for us!
Thank you for such a heartwarming story. Best wishes to you both!!
Thank you Eliane for your comment and for providing a vaccine to a child in need!
Beautiful post!
We really need people like you & your son who provide positive changes in our world! Thank you for sharing your inspiring story about your wonderful son and his equally wonderful Mom! GREAT! ♥
Thank you so much for your kind words Lynn J and for providing a vaccine with your comment! {{Hugs}}
Nice post. Thank you!
What a beautiful love letter to your son! My heart just hurts thinking about the day when my son will be old enough to move out, and yet I know that is what I am preparing him to do, to be a self sufficient and loving man. As a single mom to a boy your post really touched me. thank you. xo
Dresden recently posted..Red Elephant in the Room
Thank you Dresden. I must admit I cried like a baby when he left but as a parent it’s our duty to prepare them to become independent. This doesn’t mean they won’t return, it just means we won’t have to be as hands on. The perk: we become friends and get to enjoy them even more!
Love for every child. Hope for every child. shot@life for every child.
Susan K I couldn’t have said it any better!
What a beautiful tribute to your son! I remember thinking I knew it all at 17 and feeling like I was going to take over the world. If only we could hold on to that energy and that feeling of being invincible for the rest of our lives. I’m happy to be a part of such a great cause. xo
Maria recently posted..Let The Soul Doctor Soothe Your Soul! @SoulDoctor #Review
Maria If we could bottle up that feeling of invincibility, imagine what we could do? Thn again, knowing you personally, and seeing all that you are doing with your life, leads me to believe you may have already tapped into that! Abrazos and thank you for providing a vaccine with your comment!
I feel all ppl have this mindset of ‘my life is gone because I’m having a child.’
But like you said having and raising a child is not just a one sided growing process. The parent and the child grow as a whole.
Mfon Yes, yes, yes!
I did know it all at 17, dammit! Well, until I realized that I had no clue. Sigh! It was so long ago, 1967. Wow! it sounds even longer ago when you say it out loud.
It has been my very great privilege to be the mother of two amazing daughters. Although, they are in their early 30’s now, their teen years were just as chaotic and angst ridden as anyone else’s. Some days I was sure there would be no survivors, but here we are all these years later.
17 is the pits, it’s the best. Thankfully, we do get over it.
Thanks to Walgreen’s for what they are doing. Thank you, Shot@Life for helping me to help.
It’s definitely a beautiful age Roseanne Salyer!
Migdalia,
What a sweet and touching post!
You are such a phenomenal example for your son.
Thank you for sharing this intimate feeling with us all.
Big hugs and keep up the great work! You are a STRONG woman!
Abrazos!!!
Eileen Carter-Campos recently posted..Review & Giveaway of VTech’s Newest Switch & Go Dinos®
Eileen From one strong woman to another, thank you for your words and your comment. They will provide a child in need with a vaccine, so that one day too they will hear the words, “You are a STRONG (Wo)Man.”
Thank you for the beautiful post.
amber Children are so amazing, that’s why I am happy to join with #Blogust to provide children in need with vaccines!
Thrilling. My grandchildren are not there yet but will be soon. Your blog gives me hope for them
I’m sure you will be fine Mary! Thanks for commenting and providing a vaccine 🙂
I’m in the tween years right now with my oldest and can’t even imagine the years ahead – teenager!!! You’re standing on the brink of being the mother of an adult. What an amazing moment in time. Great post!!
Amy from Resourceful Mommy recently posted..Turketarian Twitter Party with Butterball
seventeen !!! Wow!!! school ,friends , music & Love stuff !!! ;)))) Only good memories …..
thanks for sharing during Blogust and supporting Shot@Life!
I hope your son may both grow in leading others and in knowing when to accept help as well. 17 was a difficult time for me. I was still trying to figure out who I was and come out of the shell I had created earlier as a defense mechanism. Your son sounds like a excellent example for others thanks in part to you as well.
Bobbiejo Thankfully, he has learned that community, via social media, Posse, his college scholarship program, church and family, that nothing ever gets accomplished alone. Like you, it took me years to figure this out, so I’m so glad he learned it early on. Honestly, we wouldn’t have made it this far without help from our support network 🙂 That’s why I am so happy to join #Blogust and work together with others to help children in need. It really is about community, working together, towards a common goal.
I ADORE this. What a journey of growth you have had. Wishing Karl the best on his journey and hope you share more of it in the years ahead!
oxoxox
Sili recently posted..Shot@Life: Blogust
All your hard work raising your son has paid off in a small innovative young man. You can be proud of yourself as well as him.
That’s amazing! I admire your determination and spirit as a mother! I was 17 just a few months ago, and I certainly was fearless. As I approach college, I still am; I hope I can be as driven and outgoing as your son! Thanks for sharing your story, and thanks to Walgreens and shot@life for making this comment count!
Congrats on turning 17 Em! You have so many possibilities before you. Enjoy them and walk fearlessly into your future. {{Hugs}}
I’m a month shy away from 17 with my kid and I am so looking forward to it. Beautiful post!
Tanis Miller recently posted..Sixteen and Saving The World
It’s an amazing age Tanis Miller. As a parent, seeing it through their eyes, is so memorable and reminds us of the possibilities. Thanks for your comment!
Gracias Sili! Watching you and your daughter grow, via your blog, and having you share in mine makes me realize how social media has become an extension of my own family. And, family supports one another. That’s why I’m so excited to support #Blogust and provide children in need with vaccines.
Migdalia aka @MsLatina recently posted..17 Full of Possibilities