I confess, I’m tired. Exhausted. In my No Matter How Long It Takes post, I talked about working to get back to a “normal” routine after the better part of a year being riddled with one crisis after another. Well, not too long after publishing that article, one crisis popped it’s ugly head up, and it was the last one I would have chosen—the one that put my child in jeopardy.
My motto here is: ya do what ya gotta do—whatever it takes to get my child healthy. We did it once; we’ll do it again. I was exhausted after the first day of this journey. But Thomas and I were a step ahead this time around because we already had a team established.
It’s not easy to ask for help, especially when someone just finished being a support. “Hey, you remember that thing you just finished helping me with? Can you do it again because it happened again.” Sometimes, I feel like the boy (girl) who cried “wolf.” Only the wolf really is there—it just seems to run away and return once the hunting party has dispersed. We’re not out of the woods, yet, but the branches are thinning. I am and will forever be grateful for all the support we’ve received.
And with all that going on, I think about Tommy three hours away at VMI. The rats are pushed to the brink. The system is designed to break them so they can build them up (and make them stronger). As parents, we’re encouraged to step back and allow the rats lean on their Senior Mentor and Brother Rats for support.
As a parent, it’s hard to let go, but it teaches the young men and women at VMI to survive outside the family. To form their own bonds. Come up with their own solutions. To build their own team and support system.
The beauty about VMI is these bonds don’t last for just the ratline. Or one year. Or even four. It’s for a lifetime. They may only be “rats” for six months, but once a Brother Rat, always a Brother Rat. If I’m being honest, I’m envious of what Tommy’s experiencing. He will be part of a very small, very tight-nit team for life.
By the time he graduates in the spring of 2029, he will have people he knows he can lean on and trust with anything—even his life. That’s a pretty special thing to have. For anyone reading this, if you’re lucky enough to surround yourself with a group of people who will have your back no matter what, hang on to them. And don’t be afraid to lean on your team.
‘Til next time!