A Mother's Promise

Much of motherhood is so scary. There are so many unknowns. There are so many decisions to make. And often the outcome of those decisions will not be known until years later. Often times I feel like I am holding by breath and just praying for the strength to do my best.

There are some things I can control and these promises I make to them:

I promise your oranges will always be white-gook free. 

I promise to discipline you.
I promise you I will push you to identify your dream, pursue that dream
and not to stop until you make that dream come true.

I promise to teach you to respect all life. 

I promise I will cut off the crust of your bread every time.

I promise I will push you to live outside your comfort zone.
I promise to help you do the right thing, even if its the hard thing.
I promise to stand with you, fight for you, and always be on your side.
I promise to expect you to be responsible.
I promise to let you fail sometimes and make mistakes
 and let you figure some things out on your own.

I promise to teach you self-respect, to have a positive body image and to above all love yourself first.  

I promise to remind you every day of how beautiful you are --- first on the inside, but also on the outside. 

I promise to read you a bedtime story, no matter how tired I am. 

I promise I will help you try new things, even if they are scary the first time. 

I promise to always sneak in spinach and kale into your daily fruit smoothie.

I promise you will know Jesus' love for you.

I promise to teach you to choose a healthy life style.
I promise to pass on to you my passion for animals, wild spaces and wildlife conservation.

I promise to teach you the Chicken Dance and encourage you to dance in public.

I promise to teach you to keep an open-mind while you learn about and understand life.
I promise to help you learn self-control.
I promise to teach you money-management skills.
I promise I will share with you my love of writing, photography, wildlife and reading.
I promise to encourage you to try a new foods.
I promise to fill your life with many adults who love you.

You can learn so much from having lots of trusting, 

loving adults in your life -- in addition to Daddy and me.
I'm promise to teach you to laugh at yourself.
I promise to expect you to always use your manners.

I promise to fill your life with sport, art, nature, community, culture, travel and music --- you have a God given talent ---
and I promise to help you find and nurture that talent. 

I promise you will see me cry. You will see me laugh, you will see me lose my cool, 

and you will see me apologize. 

I promise to teach you to make bread and jam from scratch. 

I promise to always be honest with you. 

I promise to encourage your creativity and imagination. 

I promise to let you be little as long as possible. 

I promise to take you outside. I promise to let  you get dirty. 

I promise to let you fall and watch nearby as you pick yourself up again.

I promise to create and carry-on traditions.

I promise to let you make messes and teach you how to clean those messes.

I promise I will let you develop your own style. There is only one you, 

and I promise to teach you to be proud of that.

I promise that no matter your problem you can always come to me for help.
I promise to show you the beauty in imperfection.
I promise you will always feel my love for you.
I promise to teach you to control your emotions and express your feelings.

I promise to teach you compassion. The blessed are the selfless.

I promise to teach you how to change your oil, jump start a battery, use four-wheel drive and change a flat,
but I also promise to teach you how to call for help!

I promise to teach you about moderation.

I promise to teach you about the irreversible repercussions than go along with big decisions

 and I promise to have advise for you in making those decisions.

And lastly, I promise that no matter how old you get I will kiss you goodbye, 

hug you hello, and let you cry on my shoulder.

Forever, my baby you'll be.
Love,
Your Mama