I am writing this post for my boys. You are only 9 and 5, but are growing so fast! As I watch you grow, I wish you both the innocence of your childhood, the ability to laugh at yourself, I wish you confidence to face challenges, contentment born of simple things, and the desire to see the world. With that said, here are some things I want you to know before you leave the house!
1. When I look at you I see my heart. I never imagined I had this much love to give until I had you. I never thought I could possibly have any more to give until I had you. You have taught me that my heart and my capacity to love is not fixed, it grows and grows and grows! You know me in a way no one ever has, you open me to things I never knew existed. You can drive me to insanity and push me to my depths, but you are the beat of my heart, the pulse in my veins, and the energy in my soul!
2. Rules to obey when in another home, You need to respect others and their possessions. I know boys will be boys, but be respectful!
3. No respectable girl wants to see your
penis privates. Since you are growing up in the technological age of iPhone and texting, you'll inevitably come to learn the term "sexting." Let me tell you now that sexting is a big, big BIG mistake. Never ever,ever,ever send a picture of a private body part to anyone. Ever.
4. I hope I teach you well enough from a young age how to properly put on pants. One leg in, then the other, pull 'em up at least to your hips, zip, button, buckle. Done.
5. Think before you ink. Tattoos are permanent. You might not want to walk around every single day for the rest of your life with the same thing on you.
6. Be an apprentice. Before you leave for college, you must acquire some skill at performing the following tasks: Laundry (separating, washing, drying, folding), making the beds, dusting, washing the floor, cooking, cleaning the toilets, cleaning the bathtub/shower, grocery shopping for the week, vacuuming, emptying the dishwasher, sweeping the floor, cleaning the bedroom, watering the plants. Your future wife will thank me!
7. Be a responsible traveler. I have no problem with you hitting the open road and taking car on a cross country adventure. In fact, I will applaud your independence and desire to see the country from sea to shining sea- but please don't make me have to book a 3am flight to God knows where to visit you in the hospital- or jail for that matter!
8. Find your passion. Keep looking and searching. Never stop.
9. Love your Mother Earth. Recycle, reduce, reuse.
10. Be a brother. Be a friend. Be a protector.
11. Take the road less traveled. May you always try to make the right choices, not the easiest ones. have the courage to lead, not follow. And to dream bigger than most others this is possible.
12. Be careful with your words. Once they are said, they can only be forgiven, not forgotten.
13. As you grow up, you will have your heartbroken more than once and its harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken.
14. You will let people take advantage of you, and you will accept way less than you deserve, but learn from your bad choices and even though there are some things you can never get back and people who will never be sorry, know better the next time and don't settle for anything less than you deserve!
15. If someone is strong enough to bring you down, show them you are strong enough to get up.
16. Don't drop out of college either, it's really not as hard as you will make it out to be. It's alot harder coming to terms with your BAD DECISIONS at $7.00 and hour!
17. You will make mistakes in your life, just don't get completely discouraged.
18. Character is how you treat those who can do nothing for you.
19. I hope that you will remember when you took your mother out on "dates" and remember me teaching you how to treat a woman (opening doors, eye contact and manners) In addition, that I stressed life isn't fair, you must give respect to get respect and you are your own person.
20. I hope I raised you well enough to know, that you speak when you enter a room, always say please and thank-you, to have respect for elders, to get up off your lazy butt and let the elder in the room have your chair, say yes sir and no sir, lend a helping hand to those in need, hold the door for the person behind you, say excuse me when needed.
21. I hope that you find someone that knows you are not perfect, but treats you as if you are~ and you do the same way.
22. Wherever you are in life, you can come home. I will be here - always.
Love, Mommy
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