When I saw that the topic for Toddle Along Tuesday was “hopes and dreams for your children” this week, I took a deep breath.  Seems like such a loaded question.  Where do you begin?  Where do you stop?  I had to think about it.  I wanted to keep it simple.

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I hope they know they are loved.  Not just “hey, love ya man” loved, but that there is a deep love emblazoned on my heart that will never fade.  I hope they know that they were created and born out of love.  I hope they feel that they were raised in a loving home and I dream of them recreating that same thing with families of their own.  Because if there’s one thing I’ve learned from being a mama, it’s this:  Family matters more than anything.  Family is everything.

I hope they have true friends.  Because I do believe that friends are the family we choose.  I can’t imagine my life without the exact people that have been placed in it.  I hope they know that they can always come to me for love and support.  But if they can’t because I’m not around, I hope they have a wonderful circle of friends that they love like family.

I dream of them being the very best of friends to each other.  To think of them not speaking breaks my heart.  To think of them not delighting in one another’s children someday makes my stomach hurt.  I hope that their closeness in age translates into closeness throughout their lives.  I hope that one another’s families are as important to them as their own.

I sometimes catch myself dreaming of them being this or doing that, but none of that matters.  I will love them to the bottom of my heart, regardless of what they do.  I hope they are kind and compassionate and considerate.  I hope they are responsible.  Throughout their lives, I hope people say “he’s a great kid,” “he’s a nice guy,” “he’s a wonderful man,” “he’s a devoted husband,” “he’s a loving father,” and most of all, “he’s just like his dad.”  That will make me as proud as anything they could ever achieve. 

I just hope they’re happy and fulfilled at the end of the day.  Satisfied with where their path has led them in life.  I hope that’s not too much to ask.

~C~