Writer Deborah Mitchell's oldest son, Nick, will be a college freshman this fall. She shared "unofficial commandments" for him to remember on CNN iReport. "I have written both my kids letters over the years, and they've kept them," Mitchell said. "Our memories change as we grow older, so these letters are just a snapshot of what I was thinking and experiencing at the time and the things I wanted them to know."
Behind my letter to my son —
Writer Deborah Mitchell's oldest son, Nick, will be a college freshman this fall. She shared "unofficial commandments" for him to remember on CNN iReport. "I have written both my kids letters over the years, and they've kept them," Mitchell said. "Our memories change as we grow older, so these letters are just a snapshot of what I was thinking and experiencing at the time and the things I wanted them to know."
Courtesy Deborah Mitchell
"The prize is here, now. In every breath you take, every new friend, every kiss, every challenge, every exciting piece of information you discover," Mitchell wrote to her son. Here, she poses with Nick when he was 6 months old. <br />
Behind my letter to my son —
"The prize is here, now. In every breath you take, every new friend, every kiss, every challenge, every exciting piece of information you discover," Mitchell wrote to her son. Here, she poses with Nick when he was 6 months old.
Courtesy Deborah Mitchell
"Watching you learn and grow has been one of the greatest experiences of my life," Mitchell wrote to her son, shown here at 13 months.
Behind my letter to my son —
"Watching you learn and grow has been one of the greatest experiences of my life," Mitchell wrote to her son, shown here at 13 months.
Courtesy Deborah Mitchell
The writer gives Nick, then 4, a kiss. "My son read the essay, and he said there wasn't anything that he hasn't heard from me 'many times' before. But he was most surprised by the tone. He said it sounded so sad, as if I were losing someone," Mitchell said. "He's not used to me sounding sad, especially since I've been telling him how exciting this will be for him. ... Being a parent is a privilege, and letting go is all part of it."
Behind my letter to my son —
The writer gives Nick, then 4, a kiss. "My son read the essay, and he said there wasn't anything that he hasn't heard from me 'many times' before. But he was most surprised by the tone. He said it sounded so sad, as if I were losing someone," Mitchell said. "He's not used to me sounding sad, especially since I've been telling him how exciting this will be for him. ... Being a parent is a privilege, and letting go is all part of it."
Courtesy Deborah Mitchell
Mitchell and Nick at 16. After the death of her father last year and realizing that her son's college move-in was just a month away, Mitchell decided she should write a letter to her son. "I think that it's important to say these things before it's too late," Mitchell said. "I would recommend that every parent write a letter, even if he or she just stashes it away. It's very therapeutic.
Behind my letter to my son —
Mitchell and Nick at 16. After the death of her father last year and realizing that her son's college move-in was just a month away, Mitchell decided she should write a letter to her son. "I think that it's important to say these things before it's too late," Mitchell said. "I would recommend that every parent write a letter, even if he or she just stashes it away. It's very therapeutic.
Courtesy Deborah Mitchell
Mitchell and her son pose for a photo at his high school graduation. "I've been telling him most of these things all along, and I guess it was just one last chance to tell him 'remember this' or 'stay-the-course, kid,' " she said.
Behind my letter to my son —
Mitchell and her son pose for a photo at his high school graduation. "I've been telling him most of these things all along, and I guess it was just one last chance to tell him 'remember this' or 'stay-the-course, kid,' " she said.
Courtesy Deborah Mitchell