and so it begins..

I was looking through some old photos and ran across this picture.

My first thought was about how young Sherice and I look (LOL). This was sometime in 2003. We were just two young parents getting started.

My second thought was on the two little boys in the picture. Deion, who was almost 4...and Kameron who was almost 1. I'm amazed at how much time has flown by since this photo. They were just 2 little boys. They aren't little boys anymore. Deion is a senior in high school. Kameron is a freshman. As looked at the picture, it took me to a place beyond the two little faces. I remembered the day that we found out that we were having our second son. I did the math and realized that Kameron would be 3 years behind Deion. This made me think immediately about me and my brother, Damon.

As you may or may not know, my brother Damon is almost 3 years younger than me. Knowing that I'd have 2 sons immediately gave me visions of me and Damon growing up all over again. We grew up in a house where our parents loved us and encouraged us to be ourselves. We did the stuff that brothers do...we played, argued, teased each other, fussed, and got on each others nerves. But there was always love and respect. We always looked out for each other.

Fast forward to 2016. Deion and Kameron are back in school together. This could be the last year that they attend school together. This time next year, Deion will be in college. And Kameron will still be at home. As the summer ended, I gave them "lectures" on what to expect and what we expected from them. There was a level of excitement in our house because with them both at the same school...it's less running around for us.

Seeing the two of them in high school together made me remember my senior year at Wilson High. Like Kameron, Damon was a freshman. My senior year was EVERYTHING. I remember people would say..."I didn't know your brother was here"...others would say "There's a freshman walking around who looks like you."...then there were the few who'd say "I didn't know you had a brother". By now; I'm sure Deion has heard it all. They've been in school for a month now. I've already given them a more than a few talks. The talks usually start with me saying..."When I was in high school..." I'm sure they may be tired of hearing it. But I want them to enjoy this year together.

I told them before school started..."Deion you have to look out for Kameron. And Kameron you have to listen to Deion." Sometimes that's the hardest things to convey to teenage boys. They have very different personalities. Deion is very outgoing and very friendly. Kids like him. Deion is friends with EVERYBODY. I like it when parents tell me how much they enjoy being around him and how mild mannered he is. Kameron is very laid back. He likes to get a "read" on people before he lets you get near him. At times, he appears to be quiet but that's not the case. He's very outgoing...especially with his friends. He has his "4 man crew". Those are his best friends. He's cool with kids outside of his crew but nobody comes above the crew. I laugh when I see them together because they remind me so much of how I was with my crew. In a lot of ways...including what I described...they are a lot like their Dad. And that's not a bad thing.

From the first day of school, I've been preaching to Deion about how he's got to look out for Kameron. A few weeks ago, Deion was on the phone with Damon. When he got off the phone he said...

"Dad, Uncle Damon said when he first got to Wilson with you...you told him 'Don't come around me. Don't bother me. And don't come around me and my friends'. What's up with that, Dad?"

LMAO!!! Wait...I don't ever remember saying that.

Did I say it? I doubt it. But if he said that I said it. I might have said it.

Nonetheless, I want them to enjoy this year. I told Deion that his "little brother is cool and he's going to blaze his own trails. You just help guide him". And that's true. That's what's going to happen. It happened to us. I looked up one day and people weren't calling him "Kyle's little brother". He quickly made a name for himself. Kameron will do the same. I enjoyed that year at Wilson with him. I want Deion to do the same with Kameron.

The next year, I enrolled at South Carolina State University. Four years later, Damon joined me there.

Who knows...history could repeat itself. We'll see...