They Said He Couldn’t Do It, June 10, 2013 Daily Reflection

Ethan and Trevor testing the motorized bike they created

They said he couldn’t do it. They said it wouldn’t work. I said “He can do anything he puts his mind to doing.”  My husband gave my oldest son; he is 14, an old weed eater. Ethan fixed the engine and decided to make a motorized bike. He discussed his plans with his cousin Trevor. They talked about it for days. Then Trevor spent the night. They worked on the bike for about 3 hours until beyond dark. The next morning they were up bright and early and worked another 3 hours and they had it running. It worked. They took turns running it up and down our street. They have made it faster and had to make some trips to the Hardware store but they have learned so much and improved it.

Yes, Ethan wants to be an engineer. He and Trevor are making another one with Trevor’s old bike. My husband brought home another weed eater that was about to be put in a dumpster. They started working on it this evening. I have no doubt it will be up and running in no time.

Ethan said to me “Mom, no one believed I could do it. But then I did it and now everyone believes I can do anything.” I said, “Ethan, I never doubted that you could do anything you set your mind to and don’t you forget that I never doubted you!”

I have faith in my son’s determination. I believe in his creativity and engineering skills. I simply believed in him and his ability to do what he said he could do.

Do you have faith in your children? Do you notice their strengths and encourage them? If we give our children the opportunity they will amaze us.  This is a summer he will never forget. The summer he built a motorized bike with his cousin.