There's a fine line between wanting our kids to have a good lives, and wanting them to lead a good lives. I know I'm not going to be able to protect my young son from all the bad that's out in the world, but I'm hopeful I can at least equip him to deal with it comfortably, and to take ownership of his decisions. I mean, isn't that one of the core principles of parenthood? Along with feeding, clothing, and securing the URL of their full name at birth, right?
Still, there's so much I wish for him. I want him to live in a peaceful world that has global warming under control, and with all eradicated diseases still eradicated. I want him to find love. I want him to discover his passions. I want him to explore. I want him to have a healthy relationship with technology, and with other people, and with food, and with public transportation. And there are so many little things too, the day-to-day stuff that mostly just affects him. I mean, technically some of it affects other people, and sure I care about that, too...but I care about him most of all. Here's a small sampling of what I (and I'm pretty sure all parents) want for my kid:
A Life Free Of Listening To Crappy Hold Music
I mean, seriously. Even when the business has selected good music, it rarely sounds decent coming out of a phone speaker. Perhaps his generation will be the first to fix this?
A Desire To Color Outide The Lines
The state of our new kid-sized table tells me that he won't have any trouble with coloring outside the lines (thankfully, crayon is fairly easy to clean), and I hope it stays that way. I don't want him to only create marks where others say he can.
To Never See His Embarrassing Moments Go Viral
Looking back, I was fairly tame when I was a youth, but even I have a few stories and experiences that I'm glad to leave in the late '90s and early '00s. Thankfully, Facebook wasn't widely used in those days, so no amount of scrolling will reveal any photographic evidence of the bad haircuts and questionable uses of my spare time (as far as I know). I'm not sure what the norm will be for his generation, but I'll be happy if he can say the same thing.
A Healthy Relationship With Thrill Rides, Activities Involving Helmets, And Pretty Much Risk Of All Kinds
I'm not the first mom to think about her child's future interactions with roller coasters, and I'm sure I won't be the last. Of course I want him to experience a little bit of adventure every now and again, and I know he won't always be at the age when indoor games of tag and forts fit the bill.
To Never Lose His Phone While It's On Silent
Unless, of course, he's trying to check in in a crowded movie theater, in which case he kinda deserves it and I hope it gets super, extra lost, just to teach him a lesson.
To Never Drink Orange Juice After Brushing His Teeth
I mean, yes, I want him to learn from his mistakes, but I'm not a monster.
At Least One Friend With A Treehouse
Along with this, I hope he has a strong upper body, steady feet, and excellent balance.
No Piercings Or Tattoos That He Regrets
I have my own opinions about piercings and tattoos (I have four of one, none of the other, and I'll let you guess which is which, because my opinion doesn't matter here), and I'm pretty sure the biggest way to get him to disagree with them is by forcing them on him. So, whatever he decides for this area, I hope he's happy about it.
A Life Free Of Paper Cuts And Stubbed Toes
A mom can dream.
That He's Able To Enjoy Culturally Relevant Books And Movies Without Spoilers
The one exception would be if he, like me, becomes one of those weirdos who loves spoilers. Should this ever happen, I will hug him closely and kiss the top of his head because I never dreamed that this is what motherhood could be.
For All Major Online Retailers To Adopt Free Shipping
How good does free shipping feel?? And hey, they'll all be using self-driving delivery trucks by the time he's old enough to enjoy this, so this is pretty realistic, right?
That No Cute Animals Ever Bite Him And Ruin His Appreciation For Them
True story: In elementary school, I was bitten by a class gerbil and more than twenty years later, I am still talking about it (hey, here we are). And since then, I have never owned a pet gerbil (or a hamster, for that matter). Coincidence? I think not.
Belief in Himself
And I don't mean belief in himself in an entitled, give-it-to-me-because-I-deserve-it kind of way, I'm thinking more of an I-can-do-it-if-I-work-hard-enough kind of way.
And Belief Those Around Him
I want him to know that all people are inherently capable of basically the same things. It's as simple, and horrifically complicated, as that.
That He Feel Safe, Everywhere, Always
Some of this is up to me and his dad, and has to do with the environment that we create for him. But some of this has to do with where we live and our culture, which is the part that makes me a little nervous.
That He Have Some Semblance Of Rhythm And/Or That He Give No F**ks When Dancing In Public
Already, seeing my kid bounce and "dance" as a toddler is one of my favorite things ever, but I would imagine that at some point he's going to grow and get more of a command of his limbs.
That He Always Feel Loved And Supported
Sorry, I can't type right now, I've got something in my eye. Who's peeling onions?
A Hot Beverage That He Likes So He Can Enjoy Slow, Rainy Mornings With It When He's Older
...As long as he doesn't discover it until his early 20s because let's be honest, they're all full of caffeine and sugar and I don't want him bouncing off the walls.
An Active Imagination And An Appreciation For Good Storytelling, Whether That Be In The Form Of Books Or Movies Or TV, Or Whatever Other Mediums Come Around In His Lifetime
Sorry, kid. Your mom writes and your dad's a film professor. You've got no chance of avoiding this one.
Images: margejacobsen/Instagram; Giphy(19)
