A letter from a father congratulating his son on his coming-of-age ceremony
Dear Son,
Congratulations, from now on, you're a man!
In fact, in the hearts of Mom and Dad, we always thought that you hadn't grown up yet.
Especially when you come home from school and ask "what are you going to eat tonight", when you sneak into your mobile phone with an adult behind your back, and squat in the toilet to read comics for a long time, your childlike fun makes us laugh. However, when you walk at home with a gust of wind, take the initiative to take heavy luggage during the moving process, do not let you pick up and drop off during the college entrance examination, and walk to the examination room with a wave of your hand, Mom and Dad have a different feeling in their hearts, an irrepressible impulse of happiness: the son has grown up and become an adult, and he is about to be trained by life to become a real man!
Now, the college entrance examination is over, and the results have not come down, in fact, it doesn't matter anymore. Because, we've all worked very hard by ourselves! Especially in the last few months, you can persist in studying until more than 11 o'clock in the evening every day, and you can take the initiative to make up for your weaknesses in learning, which is the greatest progress and gain. Dad often said that the college entrance examination is not the end, nor is it the only goal, but to examine yourself through the college entrance examination, feel the comprehensive and systematic knowledge, exercise your will, increase your wisdom, and establish a positive attitude to solve problems, which is the biggest gain. Congratulations to your son, in the eyes of your parents, in the process of preparing for the college entrance examination, you are qualified and excellent!
Son, you have grown up and become an adult, and Mom and Dad are happy and a little lost at the same time. 18 years seem to be a long time when you spend one day at a time, but when you look back, you find that it is actually a moment. When we are still reminiscing about your clenched little fists in swaddling clothes, facing toy cars, and going to the bookstore to buy books and pick out heavy editions, your body is already big, your wings are stiff, and you are eager to rush into the sky and soar into the sky. When you are about to fly alone, Mom and Dad send you six words: faith, confidence, trust, I hope it will help you.
Belief is the pursuit of dreams and perseverance. Dad often told you that the happiest person is the one who has his own dreams and gains economic and social value in the process of pursuing them. Now, your dream is to run a racing project, and you're working hard to make that dream come true. That's great, and we've got your back. However, this path is destined to be tortuous and risky, requiring you to pay more, be more resilient, and persevere longer. In the next step, we will also work on this aspect when choosing a university and major. But we want to remind you that you must not give up your dreams and lie down negatively just because you did not achieve your goals in the college entrance examination. Mom and Dad don't want you to be rich, but we can't accept that our son will go with the flow because of the ups and downs of one thing in life. This is irresponsible for ourselves, and it is also irresponsible for our family. What's more, we can still work hard at the university level! Taking a step back, running a racing car is just your dream when you were a teenager, what you like and what you are suitable for, you still need to explore and understand in your follow-up study and even work. Perhaps, at the university level, you will find a better and more suitable dream for you. At that time, if you look back at the ups and downs of the past, you will realize how unworthwhile this hesitation and struggle is. Find your dreams, work hard for them, and don't be at a loss because of setbacks or give up because of difficulties. With that belief, you're halfway there.
Confidence is to believe that you can do it and will do it. Son, you have a lot of innate qualities, and you also have a brilliant mind, and you learn to comprehend things very quickly. From kindergarten to high school, the teachers who have come into contact with you have complimented you on your intelligence. We remember that in the Red, Yellow and Blue Kindergarten you were the first to learn to swim; Roller skating, basketball, and other sports can also get into the groove very quickly, not to mention the trumpet that you have never stopped, persevered to this day, and is ahead of your peers. Whether it is Mr. Sun or Mr. Wang, they all say that you are talented, fast to comprehend, and a good material for making musical instruments. However, every time you are asked to go to the front stage, you are timid, and sometimes even give up on participating in the show because of this inexplicable timidity. Why? It's that your confidence is insufficient, you feel that you can't do it, and you are afraid of losing face. Son, this is what worries you most about your parents. Of course, this also has to do with the fact that your personality is relatively introverted. But this personality can be adjusted and overcome. First of all, you must firmly believe that you are not inferior to others, and you can do what others can do. Don't dodge, don't run away. You can escape one thing, but can you escape everything? Dreams are those who dare to stand out, dare to work hard, and dare to be the first to realize, not to hide out and wait for them. Secondly, we must cherish every opportunity to exercise ourselves, go to the front desk to make a speech, play a trumpet, what are we afraid of? Even if you don't play well, at least you have a personal experience and a new improvement in your workout. Know that the opportunity to exercise is not available to everyone. If you train yourself, you will grow more than others, and if you give up, others will take a step further than you. Over time, the gap widens. The most important thing is to be diligent, give a little more, work harder, arm yourself with more confidence to face every challenge and opportunity. Son, you must stand up your waist and be a confident and sunny man!
Trust is to believe in society and friends. Although there are still problems of one kind or another in our country and society today, those who know history know that this is the best era for the Chinese nation in the past 1,000 years. The country is strong, the society is stable, and the people are positive, which provides the best environment and motivation for personal growth. If you have time, you need to learn more about history and international knowledge, and compare it vertically and horizontally. It is necessary to face up to and criticize all kinds of remarks made by foreign media and underground networks, adhere to positive energy, publicize positive views, and attach importance to the evaluation of China by foreign tourists who come to China. Trust in our country and trust in our society, which is the foundation for your future survival and development. At the same time, you have to trust your teachers and your classmates. Especially after university life, you have to face a new environment, you have to study and live with new classmates, and at this time, you must be good at creating a good environment for yourself. We must treat every student equally, and we can't look down on our classmates because of good grades or family surplus, let alone look down on classmates because of bad grades and family difficulties. Son! Here is a reminder to you, that is, you must be generous, open-minded, tolerant and understanding of others. Students living together, it is inevitable that there will be contradictions and conflicts, you can't care about who has more and who is less economically, you can't have opinions and opinions on your classmates because you don't like a word or a thing, and you can't mumble behind your back and form gangs. As long as you treat your classmates sincerely, they will be sincere to you, and you will be able to establish a good relationship with your classmates, roommates, and real friendships in this relationship of equality. It is your lifelong wealth to have a few close friends and a few friends who are progressing together.
Son, there are many, many more things I want to tell you. You must remember that no matter when, no matter where you are, you must communicate with your parents more, share your progress and happiness, share your difficulties and setbacks, this is our happiness and joy!
Once again, I wish you a happy 18-year-old coming-of-age ceremony!
- Love your mom and dad forever!
(June 18, 2024 in Nyingchi, Tibet)