A letter to my children

For you,

There are so many things that I want to teach you in life.

There are the common milestones like crawling, walking, talking, riding a bike, writing, and reading etc. but those aren't the ones I am referring to in this very moment.  I guess when I say teach you, I really mean help you, guide you, fight for you, advise you, comfort you, listen to you, and when you really need it simply hold you.

When you are little there are so many tricky things to know and often you call us out on technicalities which is something you don't quite understand yet but it reminds me of the simplicity in things. When you are little I will be there to pick you up when you fall, brush the dirt off your knees, and kiss the scrapes and bruises.  I will help you to figure out your "right and left" and your "rights and wrongs", I will help you find the fun in sharing with others and the joy in helping others.  I will encourage to voice your opinion in a mindful manner and never to judge the opinion of others.  I will lead by example in the importance of truth and the practice of silence.  I will help you understand that words are not just words but a combination of strength, emotion, persuasion, and power and to always do your best to use them for good and positive change. Not maliciously.

You will grow in an environment of respect and confidence towards yourself.  You will know that you belong to no one but yourself and that you are the only one who can make decisions about you and your body.  You will know to seek knowledge and education so that you may always make the best decisions for yourself, and if your decisions do not lead you where you wish to be, know to learn from that and just move forward.  You will treat yourself well by taking time for yourself, learning, exploring, adventuring, being healthy and active, experimenting, and loving not only yourself but others.  May you happen to fall from a broken heart, seek what you need to mend it then seek the next to openly and fully give it to, again.  Never let the fear of a broken heart keep you sharing your love and seeking it in return for that is the worlds greatest gift, it is the only thing no one can take from you if you choose so.

I could write for every day of my life, hope to still guide you every day beyond that and never fit in everything I hope for you and wish to teach you.  Let this letter stand as a reminder for myself of how everything I do, shapes who you are.  Let it be a reminder to myself to practice what I preach and most of all how much you have taught me and have yet to teach me in your life time.

Love you,

Mama.