Reasons to Be Proud

When I ran into a neighbor I hadn’t seen in months in the grocery store this past week, she was anxious to tell me how much she enjoyed my son’s role in the 2011 hit movie Moneyball. 
“How is your son?  You must be soooooo proud of him!”

Many of my friends have made similar statements, and of course I respond that I certainly am proud.  What parent wouldn’t be proud of a child who has persevered for more than a decade to achieve one of his dreams?

But the truth is, my pride for what he did yesterday and what he has done quite frequently lately, is far greater.




Yesterday Stephen faced one of his fears with much trepidation and great courage.  Why?  Because he can’t live with the idea that children around the world are being exploited by greedy, soulless sex traffickers.  He promised his Facebook friends that if they would help him meet his fundraising goal, he would do a skydive.   This from a guy who gives new meaning to the term white knuckle flier.

Oh yeah, I’m proud. 

To donate to 18 for 18: Project Rescue go here.

A couple of weeks ago, this happened:




Los Angeles County Supervisor Mike Antonovich commended Stephen publicly for his volunteer work in the supervisor’s extensive foster care programs in the LA area.  When he put this photo on Twitter, Stephen’s hashtag was #GivingBackFeelsGreat.

Oh, yeah.  I’m proud.

Kids are my son’s priority, though he has none of his own yet.  He flew coast to coast twice in 24 hours not too long ago in order to avoid letting down a small group of kids in northern California who had invited him to speak to their acting club.

In my book, the measure of a man is how much he cares for others.  So yeah, I'm proud of him.