Dear baby... (3)

It's been a rough couple of months for me, baby. I kept wanting to write you again, but couldn't find anything worth saying. Even now, I'm digging deep to come up with today's letter.

I don't want to be overprotective, and I'm going to keep a close watch because I might tend that way. I know many parents say that they want better for their children than they had. I don't. I had a pretty good childhood. Sure, my mom and I had our issues, and some of them I understand now and some I realize won't work for me as a parent. My parents didn't discuss finances in depth with us, yet instilled the value of fiscal responsibility through their practices. My parents tried their best not to fight in front of us, and we knew what it meant when they went into their room and shut the door. They always came out with a unified front, no matter what they each may have gone in with. My parents gave me a solid foundation to grow from. In fact, I've said before when reflecting on my teenage years that I wasn't so much rebelling against my parents as I was *rappelling* from them. I knew what the values were that they helped cultivate in our family and that kept me anchored. Did I push the limits? Yes, but I always knew that I was still tethered and could safely explore the boundaries, even if it meant there were consequences if I pushed them too far. That's what I want to provide to you, baby, one of the many things.

Other things that I want to teach you, give you, help you learn and understand, guide you and offer you include...

...compassion
...trust
...self-reliance
...open-mindedness
...responsibility
...integrity
...diplomacy
...humility
...critical thinking
...creativity
...flexibility
...respect
...perseverance
...empathy
...loyalty
...charity
...patience
...conviction
...curiousity


This is such a very short list of everything I will have twenty-two short years (plus or minus some) to nurture with you. Let's get started, shall we? I'll wait until you're ready. :)