Best Friends Since Birth? Father Shares Special Bond with Talented Son

Mark Hernandez will never forget the day his oldest son, Huxley, was born. He was delivered by Caesarean section (C-section) at Stanford Hospital at 5:08 p.m., weighing 8 pounds and 5 ounces.

“When he came out, he was crying (of course),” Mark recalled. “But I was so blacked-out nervous that when I first heard the crying, my thought was, ‘What kind of hospital is this?! Why would they bring a screaming baby in here?’”

Once Mark regained my bearings, he came over to meet Huxley. Their strong bond as father and son started soon after, as they spent four hours in a room together waiting for the medical staff to complete the post-surgery process with Huxley’s mom, Melinda Mattes.

“Those were some of the absolute best four hours of my life,” said Mark. “He was such a chill baby. I must have tested his natural grip reflex a thousand times. It was a magical window of time.”

Huxley is now 16 years old and a sophomore in high school in Palo Alto, California. Huxley attends Gunn High School, a place that is consistently highly ranked as one of the top high schools in the state. He stands out in the competitive environment, particularly when it comes to music.

“He is madly in love with all things music,” his dad said proudly.

Most of Huxley’s free time is spent playing either tuba or trombone, although his dad notes that he often finds other instruments to learn as well.

He loves to compose music and is willing to play with essentially any band that asks.

“He is as sweet and earnest as they come, and deserves all the success in the world,” said Mark.

In addition to playing with several bands, Huxley has been growing in confidence as a solo performer. “He has developed an easy charisma that separates him from his peers,” Mark said.

Wise beyond his years, Huxley leads by example and he wears his heart on his sleeve. 

“Huxley is the best friend any of his friends have,” said Mark. “He is generous and supportive and earnest. He does not have a malicious atom in his body.”

According to Mark, whatever Huxley does, he does all the way. He is courageous and goes all-in on what is in front of him. “He is willing to take chances because he knows that he has the inner strength to recover from anything,” Mark said.

That includes having zero hesitation in deciding to spend a month last summer in Argentina, thousands of miles from everyone he knew.

“Time and again, he is brave enough to be vulnerable and pushes himself to try new things,” said Mark. “He is no stranger to being disappointed, but he does not let fear of failure deter him.”

Beyond music, Huxley is a “recovering coaster nerd,” according to his dad; a “recently retired” baseball pitcher and catcher; and a budding film nerd, with a growing passion for watching movies. He “has seen more films than most people his age,” said Mark.

Father and son have enjoyed many hobbies and adventures together, including some epic trips. There was a memorable trip to EPCOT at Disney World in 2011, when 2-year-old Huxley experienced the joy of a splash pad and the sadness of being torn away from the trains in the Germany pavilion in EPCOT.

One of Mark’s favorite adventures overall was a wild spring break trip they took in 2023. Mark and Huxley visited six theme parks in six days, three in Texas and three in California.

“It was just the two of us, adventuring and eating and playing,” said Mark. “It was the best.”

Huxley has a younger brother, Hobbs Hernandez, and he enjoys relationships with his mom, his paternal grandparents, David Hernandez and Sonia Seeman, and his maternal grandmother, Elaine Mattes.

Huxley and Hobbs have two cats, Rino and Calypso.

But one of his most important relationships is with his dad. Mark calls Huxley his best friend and he wants to emphasize how much he loves his son this Christmas.

“I want him to know that, since the day he was born, he has been my best friend,” said Mark. “I could not be more proud of him. I used to roll my eyes at my dad when he told me that I wouldn’t understand how incredible love was until I became a parent.

“But as soon as Huxley arrived, and every day since, I have known that my dad was right.”