When I met you for the first time
my heart melted.
You were precious, pure and perfect.
My goals changed when you arrived.
A babysitter would never care for you,
not even grandma would do.
I knew I would stay by your side till you were grown. 
When I prayed,
I could never call you my baby
it was our baby.
Something inside me said,
“This child does not belong to you - you have been chosen to nurture him”.
You will remain precious to me your entire life.
Your happiness takes priority over mine – that will always be.
I do not know what is best for you,
only you do.
I will suppress my dreams for you
and nurture your dreams for you.
I do not know what God or the Universe has in-store,
only you hold the key.
The way to unlock each door is for you to remain true to you.
It is my duty to encourage and support you in
being unique,
not to follow the pack – they do not know your chosen path,
to be proud of being different,
to be confident as you stand alone,
to celebrate your differences,
not to shame from errors, but shout them from the roof tops so others can learn.
But most important of all…
I encourage you to take your time,
do not rush through life,
do not hurry to grow up,
follow your heart,
follow your instinct,
and trust that all will be provided as long as you,
are true to you.
You are now venturing into your twenties,
it’s time for you to take care of yourself
but promise me…
you will stop and smell the roses at every opportunity,
you will not take life too serious,
you will love and respect yourself and those around you,
and
each night before you go to sleep,
you will be grateful for your pillow and blanket,
that you are warm and safe,
think of those that aren’t
and understand
you are no more deserving,
they no less…
Love Always,
Mom xoxo
My daughter is turning 20, and this is a perfect motivation for a note from dad. It reminds me of Kahlil Gibran's "On Children". Well done @tinymarie :)
Awe that would be a lovely note to her, I'm sure she would love it. I had to google Kahlil Gibran and found her note on children. I have always believed it was more important to teach my children to trust themselves and their own inner guidance. Thanks for reading.
My pleasure, and thanks for taking the time to google Gibran :)