Two-Minute Drill

Summer Reading

My son recently graduated from elementary school.  It was a surprisingly emotional moment.  I was overcome by how much we have both grown since he began kindergarten.  His graduation gave me a moment to sit back and reflect on the fact that we made it through several milestones that at times seemed impossible to obtain.

This was also a hard year for us and I was ready for the chapter to be over.  I noticed that my influence over him was beginning to wane.  He used to listen a little better and talk back a little less defiantly.  The call from the teacher that usually comes in mid-May when he was thoroughly tired of school, actually came in October.  Friends were beginning to become his most important relationships.  Things that used to be easy - like my job, homework, and sports - also seemed very draining now.  My son and life were clearly changing.

While in many ways I feel a little relief because we are on the downswing of at least his primary education, I am also pretty scared.  I wonder, is he ready?  Does he know what's about to hit him?  Does he know how easy it is for him to make one decision that could ruin the rest of his life?  The temptations he will encounter as he gets older could reap huge consequences.  Then the panic sets in.  I need more time.  More time to warn him about all the dangers out there.  More time to teach him about the importance of character, empathy and humility.  More time to be the primary influence in his world.   

John Croyle speaks to this exact fear in The Two-Minute Drill to Manhood, a biblically-centered guide to helping prepare our sons for manhood.  I enjoyed the football analogy in the preface, which describes the timeline of a football game and how winning a game can all come down to the final two minutes.  As parents, the last few years we have with our children in late high-school are also crunch time. The two-minute drill is almost impossible to execute effectively if the team doesn't put in the time it takes to practice it before the game.  So, while I'm not yet in the two-minute drill, now is the time to practice going over the tools I think he needs to be successful.  If we practice enough hopefully when he is out in the world and has just a few minutes to make that decision that will make or break him, my son will be ready.