A time too Often Forgotten

Today i was suprizingly blessed with the opportunity to speak at an essembly my 7-year olds school. There was a "Young Men's Conference" where they asked fathers of students and other men in the community to speak to and answer questions about being a man. Upon first surveying the crowd as the young gents filed in, i noticed to my great dismay, no "Lil Man". So i was a lil dismayed when I got word from the moderator that this program would consist of only 4th-6th graders; but i reconciled with myself that my kid aint the only one that could use a lil guidance. The questions ranged from the silly- "how do u get big muscles when u grow up", to the awkward- "what are some physical signs that im going thru puberty"(one of the answers veered uncomfortably to "checking one another out in the showers"..lol), and finally serious- "how do you deal with lifes regrets". Given my recent bout with anxiety, i really wasnt planning on responding to much, as addressing a auditorium full of impressionable pre-pubescent men was'nt on my agenda for my what was supposed to be a relaxing day off from work. The looks on these boys eyes where something to behold. Most were fixated on my shoes(lol), a few were a lil bored, but the majority of them were sitting on the edge of thier seats seeking the knowledge that the program had promised. As i sat and simply observed them, i suddenly began to replace the faces of the kids with me and my childhood buds in some sort of nostalgic daydream. Scott-bully and jerk, Kwame-artist and misunderstood, Kevin-loner and dog lover, Antoine-the lover, Paul-the joker, and some more of my boys.. We were them just 19 years ago, wow, 19 years ago.
19 years of growning up.
19 years of raising hell.
19 years of girls.
19 years of small victories.
19 years of big mistakes.
19 years of wishing there was some "reset" button to life like on the original Nintendo system.
As i sit and watch these boys, my boys; I wonder if talks and mentoring like this would have made a difference in the lives of MY friends.

Would Scott be a junkie?
Would Kwame have taken his life?
Would Antoine joined that gang?
Would Paul have met his fate in such a violent way?
Would Big Kev be in jail for LIFE?

Who knows.

As enthusiastic as the kids seemed, the wisdom that was imparted them today more than likely went in one ear and out the other, especially with recess about 30 minutes away..lol

But i cant help but think that by constantly sharing what we know and what we've learned, maybe those kids who i see my old buds in can get it right, for themselves

And my boys..