I recently watched Matt Damon open up Saturday Night Live and he gave a beautiful tribute to his dad, Kent Damon, who passed away a year earlier. In his words he remembered how his dad would let him stay up and watch Saturday Night Live IF he could make it up until one am. By the way, the first time he was able to make it was when he was eight. He remembers it. Vividly.
It was powerful. This memory.
He shared about how his Dad knew that staying up was for the right reason.
Listen: there wasn’t talk about him being only eight or that it was super late or that it involved media or any of those things that we can find debated – it was simply a remembrance of a moment that made a life-long impression on Matt. And that, that my friend, is what is powerful about parenting.
In fact, he ended his monologue with the words – Here’s to all the parents that let their kids stay up late for all the right reasons…
Think about the truth in those words.
No judging, just loving the opportunity, the gift that each set of parents give to their kids.
Sweet sister – we all have stories and we all have these moments of for all the right reasons in our family that MIGHT NOT MAKE SENSE TO ANYONE ELSE. But that doesn’t make them wrong or right – that makes them a gift – for your family.
It’s easy to judge, isn’t it? It’s easy to read someone else’s update and think well, I would never do that. But we miss the back story. We miss the family, we miss the sentiment, we miss the beauty of for all the right reasons.
The powerful, most touching part of Matt’s story is that some of the things we end up debating or reading articles for or against he was proud about.
Do you know why?
His dad made a memory.
Our memories don’t have to all look alike to have value.
In fact, wouldn’t that be boring? We all show up with the same cookie? Or all the presents were the same? All our educational choices exactly alike? Target only has one shirt, one pant style. The kids only can wear one color. The front yards the same, no different cars, no different opinions.
We live in a world that celebrates individualism and voice and unique. Yet, why in the world is it almost threatening when someone else has their own for all the right reasons? You see we can love them for who they are and love our story as well. We can lift them up. And more than that – even if someone else debates your for all the right reasons you have a powerful decision.
You can choose to not debate.
You can choose to be okay with you.
You can choose to listen.
You can choose to be grateful
And…
You can choose to love.
At the end of our days do you know what will matter?
All the for all the right reason moments.
Staying up late. Watching an opening night movie opener. Drinking extra cups of hot chocolate. Running in the snow fall at midnight. Silly stories. Vacations. Traditions. Things that might not make sense to anyone else but our own family.
And that?
That is beautiful.
~Rachel
