In Search of Sun (weather doesn't matter...): Right Before His Big Night

He has always been some of the very finest moments of my life.

There were so many moments leading up to tonight. I remember the in my mind as though they were right in front of me now and just happened.

Little him talking the exam for this prestigious school and us praying he would get in. Hoping he would get in .Scared he would get in and also what that would mean for his life.

We remember it so clearly. That day he took the famous entrance exam and walked across the big stage after completion with hundreds of others grade 6’ ers wanting a spot. He was so much smaller than they all were- and also so much more confident than most. I remember it like yesterday. Last night in bed Hubbby and I replayed it all.

I remember getting that call that he got in..Waiting for the call, wanting the call, needing it almost like a drug. Looking back in retrospect and analyzing that call and if that school did make such a difference to his life after all?

Yes. Oh Yes.

In Sec 1 and Sec 2 he struggled. As we knew he would. He was good enough and got in but to stay there we knew would be a longshot. We worried about it constantly and questioned our choices constantly. How would it feel to be at the bottom of your class all the time? (400 students per grade). How would it feel to always try and play with the cream of the academic and athletic crop? What would this do to his confidence and sense of self? He struggled, we worried, he worked his ass off, and we supported him in working his ass off and kept the faith.

He always made it through. Did well enough and worked hard. Enough to stay at school and in sports program. Sec 1 a bit borderline, by Sec 2 in a safer zone but not with a grade point average he would be raving home about.

By Sec 3 he was diagnosed with ADD and never has anything made more sense to him or us. I cannot even believe we took this long to realize it. So many questions were answered for us, so many for him. To this day it is a “pure” diagnosis. High end ADD and high symptoms (many cases unclear or borderline). Some years he took a drug to help in very low does, some periods he did not. Sometimes a non-stimulant drug. He has tried it all. And through it all succeeded on or off the drug. That was important to us that he never depended on it for life skills or academia. And he has proven this year that he has not in fact as the hardest grade Sec 5 that he has learnt to live and deal with ADD. Meds and/ or accommodations are helpful but not necessary. Our hearts explode with pride. This kid has had some major real obstacles thrown his way. He is beating them with hard work and determination

By Sec 4 he was invited into advanced math (a miracle for someone in Sec 2 and 3 that was barely scraping by). He also chose the science/ chemistry/ physics route even though he would not go onto sciences to open as many doors as possible in the future (a choice that only less than 40% make in Sec 5 as a much much harder year to graduate than the regular stream) And he did really well in them too!!! In math he has an extremely high average.

In the last two years Chase has reinvented himself as a student. Seriously. No nagging, (ok ya some nagging that is not needed) , sets his own pace, does his stuff, self regulates, makes good choices. Seriously it is a dream to watch.

He will graduate tonight with an education experience of 5 years that is noteworthy. High honours in subjects such as English and excellent grades in many subjects. Other subjects much much less but the effort has been there. We are so proud (and so should he be!) of every single grade even if it is the low ones, medium ones and high ones. We are proud of his high exams and his failed ones.

He has also mastered over 50 sports in his sports program, run half marathons, done triathlons, climbed mountains, done Ironman’s, diving, deep sea fishing, scuba diver, white water rafted rock-climbed, assimilated parachuting and flying, biked on ice and in storms amongst many many more extreme sports. A true athlete who has never really cared much or been driven by his natural athletic abilities, but has shone amongst his peers to have the natural abilities with just about any sport with ease and grace.

And he (and we!) has sailed through high school so far with little incident and crappy teenage stuff (except for a BIG attitudeJ. His behaviors have been really admirable. At the same time he has led a very normal teenage life too and very social and out there and experimented with all the usual teen stuff in a very controlled and healthy way.