Capturing My Son’s Personal Legend with AI
Last year was rough. My son and I went through a storm of challenges, but somehow, we emerged on the other side—stronger, clearer, and in the right place. He’s now at a school that provides just the right mix of freedom, structure and community to help him thrive.
During Parent Weekend, I met with his teachers, and each one had a completely different impression of him. One thought he struggled to conform, another saw him as a leader who raised the bar for the whole class. One saw a jokester; another, a quiet, serious student who only spoke when necessary.
Of course, I could see how my son’s personality shifted depending on each teacher’s age, gender, and style. But it made me think—who is my son, really? What is the throughline of his story?
That’s when I had an idea. In my thank-you letter to his teachers, I wanted to give them a glimpse of the best of him—the essence of his "Personal Legend," the term from The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho that describes a person's deepest calling. And this is where AI came in to make it easy.
Most days, I take a 30 minute walk in nature, and that’s when I tell AI my stories. There’s something about speaking out loud, mid-stride, that helps me get to the heart of a moment. I described the way my son sees patterns others miss, his sharp wit, his moments of unexpected wisdom. AI helped me refine and shape these stories into a compelling narrative, weaving together the unique traits that make him, him.
Want to start capturing your child’s Personal Legend made easy with AI? Here are some prompts to help prime the pump:
✨ A time they outsmarted me
😂 The funniest thing they’ve ever said
🤯 A moment they blew my mind
🔥 An epic fail—and an even better comeback
💖 A moment they showed unexpected kindness
🥹 A memory that still makes me tear up
❤️ Something they do regularly that I absolutely love
And maybe the best question of all: What makes them unmistakably, unrepeatably THEM?
How I Use AI for Storytelling (Quick Steps!)
Tell AI your goal. Start with:
"Please edit and make the following story fun, deep, or in the style of [your kid’s favorite book/movie]."Refine. After AI drafts something, tweak it:
If something is off: "Please change X to Y."
If you forgot a key part: "Please add [missing detail]."
If it’s too long: "Please shorten and remove [boring/redundant part]."
If it needs more sparkle: "Make it funnier, deeper, or more magical."
Track progress. Once you have a story, revisit the AI thread and let it know what worked!
A fun idea: Read The Alchemist with them and ask what parts of the story they relate to. Then, share with them the stories you co-created with AI that define their essence—their "Personal Legend."
Lately, I’ve been playing with another idea: turning these stories into a keepsake—a photo book for each of my kids, filled with their Personal Legend stories. A tangible reminder of who they are at their core, where they’ve been, and where they’re destined to go. Because sometimes, the magic of life isn’t just in seeing the world through your own eyes—it’s in seeing what others see in you.
--- For those interested - what started it all --
Dear [teacher],
It was wonderful to meet you last weekend. It was my first Parent Weekend and I left with a deeper understanding of the Academy's focus on developing fine young men who will make a difference in the world. I wanted to take a moment to thank you for contributing to my son's personal legend and helping him develop the skills that allow him to be more of who he truly is.
I wanted to share a glimpse of his spark. When he was 15, he took a job selling coupon books outside grocery stores. He earned $7 per sale, or $8 if he sold more than 10 in a night. The evenings he worked, we’d inquire about how he did—often he was the top seller clearing 16 to 24 books every night.
After months working this job, we inadvertently learned he had been working, but not for the man who employed and drove all the kids to different stores. After two weeks, he had figured out he could go straight to the source, buy the books for $5 each, and sell them independently —pocketing $20 per sale, easily covering his Uber expenses. At just 15, in his first job, he instinctively saw a more efficient and profitable way forward and had the courage to take action.
What I find extraordinary about my son is his ability to recognize patterns and opportunities with clarity. At times this gift perhaps causes him to resist doing things most others would accept without questioning. He thrives when he understands and agrees with the objective and is given space to create as he tends to be ten steps ahead and will bravely (sometimes annoyingly) question the status quo. With the right core values, skills and foundational knowledge that you and others are helping him refine—he has the potential to apply this thinking to highly complex situations and create meaningful solutions that I think we can all agree our rapidly changing world needs.
I truly appreciated our conversation and felt a deep level of care and interest from you. Thank you for being part of my son's journey. As he trusts that he is more than enough, as we all are, he will open and it will be epic. Thank you for helping him become all that he can be. Please feel free to reach out to me for anything. I appreciate you.
Warmly,
Christina