Mentally Tough

You are here: Home » Mentally Tough

Christopher (left) and Nico enjoying McDonald's at the mall food court. August 1, 2021

August 7, 2021

*I become filled with emotion When I look at my 4 boys. I thought about this because I know I can't watch over them all the time.

I just want to protect him. Protect him from the harsh world that I know. The bullies, haters, and social media warlords are using their hard words like a firing squad aiming at a poor soul sentenced to death. But where will I be when there are times like that? How can I make my boys mentally tough to ignore such mental abuse?

I understand that I can't always protect him, even though constant protection is what I long to do. Ready to pounce on anyone who makes a decision to harm him. But the reality of life is that at some point, everyone must take a stand for himself. So, I will nurture him. Groom him. Give him the life tools to protect himself. But is that enough?

My strength and blunt interaction with him is the substitute for that nefarious individual out to harm him. But I am not evil. And evil creates madness. There is no way I can account for someone else's narcissistic, sociopathic desire to inflict emotional pain. I'm just not made that way.

As I grew up, I became wiser in my understanding of Mankind to realize people have flaws and they will disappoint you. That people will go out of their way to inflect pain, be it emotional or physical. Some people get off on that. But I will not let him back down because I do not understand the dark side. With commentary and stories about life lessons, he will learn how a person can be hurt.

The best way I can teach him is to guard his emotional state without isolating himself from others. But he must learn that battles aren't only the physical things his eyes witness. Battles are mental ones, too! 

Mental battles with nitwits versus those of use with their wits, who can ignore such mental abuse, is not what I want them to engage with. I want them to be where strong minds thrive by learning to let go and move on and ignore the haters too blinded by their own jealousy to raise the white flag in defeat.

Take a deep breath, son, and move forward. Avoid the emotional land of minds by moving to the left when words are lobbed toward you. Then, step to the right and evade the wrong people in your life. Push forward, and never fall back when blocking the ugly from your life. Learn to stay stable during the tough times. Gain your bearings and understand you have emotions and are susceptible to being hurt. Your emotions are not a weakness. Understanding your hurt is self-care. It is tough mentally, physically, spiritually, and emotionally. And not necessarily in that order.

I wish I could protect you forever. I wish I could stand by you through thick and thin. But I know that isn't possible. Life simply won't afford me enough time to stand with you forever. But by teaching you mental stability, I hope you will be mentally ready to take on the world without me. 

533 words

Maximilian (left) and Blake enjoying fun at family members house. August 5, 2021.

  https://twitter.com/FusaCmee

© Copyright 2012- 2024 Captain Imperfecto, LLC. All rights reserved. This material may not be republished, rewritten or redistributed without permission.  Please contact if you would like to re-publish in film, television or print.