Scott Clifton Instagram – My son is five years old. It’s a sentence I half-expected would come prancing out of my mouth like a Broadway diva waiting far too long in the wings, but opening night always felt so far away. He’s no longer a baby, or even a toddler. Today, as I see him at least, Ford makes his debut as a boy.
I have memories of myself earlier than five, of course, but this was the age I truly began to form complete, enduring, robust memories of my own. And I can’t help but parent by way of analogy: the sense I have of what it’s like to be Ford at any given age is inextricably tied to my own memories of that same time. I remember being five in a way I don’t quite remember being four, or three—I remember the person I was, the wishes I had for the future, the sense of being an autonomous person in the world. And so too, I imagine, will a 36-year-old Ford.
This is it, kid. You’re on record, now. Your life, your history, is no longer anyone else’s to narrate for you—it’s your story to tell, and remember.
May you be a protagonist we, and you, can root for; may your scars be few and your regrets useful; may you be kind to the people you will become and compassionate toward the people you once were; may you love, and accept love, freely; may you strive to be the best at something you cherish; may you always be good to children and animals; may you never stop tinkering with your philosophy like a careful watchmaker; and may you find happiness—real happiness—in all its exquisite incarnations.
I love you, my sweet son. The stage is yours. Now break a leg.
📸: @nikkishoots
#5yearsold | Posted on 07/May/2021 04:03:52
