My son is the type of person who would NEVER call himself a rock star. He is and will be a musician. To say that I am proud of my son would be like saying I love staying home with my cats. It's an obvious understatement. My son has not always been the easiest child (there was that time in 8th grade where I was convinced he was trying to kill me with stress), but he hasn't been the toughest either. During times when he was being especially stubborn, I would tell myself that Donald Trump probably did not kowtow to everything his parents said. I doubt Eddie and Alex VanHalen did either.
I think I know how Mr. and Mrs. Van Halen felt while raising their boys. It's a combination of pride and fear. It's not easy to guide a creative person. I'm proud of him for his talent and his character, but I fear a lot of things about the world of musicians, like drugs, alcohol, gold diggers, and poverty. I'm a mama lion, but I can't protect him from everything. I can only hope that his head continues to stay on straight, and that he keeps away from things that will take his focus off of making music, the thing he has wanted to do since fourth grade.
My son has never had a plan B. There was never a time when he said, "Well, if I'm not a musician, I will be an accountant, or teacher, or fireman." Never. Since the age of 10, so 6 years now, he has wanted to be a musician. That is when he saved money and bought his first electric guitar. He very politely asked if we could pay for lessons since he bought the guitar himself. Of course, we did. Through the years, he has also taken drum and vocal lessons, and he has purchased more guitars. He has never learned to read music, but he has written a few songs, including this one, Surroundings, which is about moving to another state during high school.
My son had been a musician for years before founding Alone at Dawn, a melodic metal band. It has helped him through difficult times. Some kids play sports, some paint, some write. My son is a rock musician.
