This is the part where I tell you about me.
Growing up, I was always the nerdy kid with thick glasses who knew all the answers and eagerly waved his hand in class. It wasn’t to make others feel bad or to try to get attention; as children, we’re taught that it’s a good thing to learn and have the right answers. I enjoy excelling at things, and I had the answers (most of the time, though I thought I had them all the time), so I raised my hand. I still raise my hand if there’s a question I can answer. I guess I like sharing information with people.
Growing up, I was the best player on my soccer and baseball teams; I pitched and batted cleanup in baseball, and I played midfield and goalie in soccer. Part of my aptitude was due to the various baseball and soccer camps my parents sent me to, and the other part was that I enjoyed excelling at things. I liked to compete and I liked to win, and I still do; I will never apologize for that. I’m fundamentally incapable of giving anything less than my best effort, so bear that in mind if you invite me to a Ping-Pong match or a game of Warmachine (I’ve learned how to be less of a jerk about it, though, which I’m pretty sure is a good thing).
Growing up, I always had my head in a book. I mastered the art of reading while walking: I glanced up quickly every now and then to make sure I didn’t run into anything. I loved to read, and I would frequently get in trouble in class for reading when I was supposed to be paying attention. This seemed rather odd to me at the time (and still does), but whatever. Apparently, school is for learning what the curriculum says you should learn, not for learning in and of itself. I would also read in the car on the way to soccer and baseball practice, in the bathtub, under my covers late at night when I was supposed to be sleeping (I had to develop a good ear to hear my mom coming up the stairs to catch me); basically, whenever I had some free time, I was reading. People who know me now will say nothing has changed in that respect.
Growing up, I had no idea what girls were for. I could talk with them, build sand castles with them, and play board games with them, but the concept of relationships never even entered my mind. I didn’t go on a date until my senior year of high school, and that was more because it seemed to be the expected thing to do (I was slowly picking up civilized manners at that point, but the going was rough). I went on recruiting trips to UCLA, and when I was there, I was completely clueless that my future wife was at all interested in me; I just thought she was being nice by explaining the different things to do once I got to campus. (We’re both pretty glad that I figured it out eventually.) I asked to go to an arcade during my official visit because the basketball game was boring and I wanted to do something fun. Nothing out of the ordinary about that, right?
Growing up, I got in fights with my brother all the time. We were both completely unwilling to back down from anything, and that led to some truly interesting incidents (I maintain that I never started a single one; I just finished it). We can look at those now and chuckle, but we’ve both had to learn how to walk away, a lesson I think is valuable no matter what age you learn it. You should never be afraid to stand your ground for something worth fighting for, but learning what’s worth fighting for can be a very long (and occasionally painful) process. Nowadays I let the little stuff go; life’s too short to be angry all the time, and I’d rather laugh at the absurdity of it all. Fair warning, though—don’t mess with my sense of justice; there’s some vicious monsters lurking in those depths, and when they come out, well, there be dragons.
Growing up, I had parents who loved me (and they still do). They taught me to be polite, to always give my best effort, and to treat other people the way I would want to be treated. They gave me the tools I needed to succeed in life even if I didn’t realize it at the time, and, really, what child does? I hated practicing the violin, but now I know that I have an ear for music because of that practice. I hated practicing soccer and baseball, but now I know that the only way to succeed is to put in the necessary hard work. I hated not being able to play video games all the time, but now I know that everything in moderation is the key to a happy, healthy life. I’ve made my own choices in that life, but the scaffolding and structure of those choices was made available to me by my parents, and for that I love them.
Growing up, I had a family that cared, and that’s all a child needs.