I have so many hopes and dreams for Bastian, and for any future child that I have. I know I’m not alone as a parent, hoping my child is happy and well off. I find myself staring at my baby, telling him about what a great person he’s going to grow to be. I always tell him that he inherits certain character traits from me or Seth. I have so many hopes and wishes for his future. So, to my dear Bastian, here are a few of the wishes that I have for you and your future:
I hope you feel comfortable being yourself. I hope you never feel ashamed of who you are, because who you are is unique and special.
I hope you’re never afraid to laugh.
I hope you feel free to express yourself. Always. You can be and do anything that you want.
I hope you always know that Seth and I love you.
I hope you inherit your father’s energy and passion.
I hope you have a sense of your self worth, and that you’re confident. This may sound repetitive, but I think that loving yourself is so important, and self-love isn’t something I always had. I’ll do everything that I can to promote a healthy example of self-love, but I’ll apologize now for all of the times that I’ll fall short.
I hope that you struggle. This may sound wrong, but struggles are what’s going to shape you into a successful and well rounded individual. I hope your struggles are tolerable and that you’ll have us to help you through them.
I hope you travel and you never turn down an adventure.
I hope you’re cultured and tolerant and loving towards everyone that you meet.
I hope you aren’t afraid to make mistakes. Because you will make mistakes. And I hope you know that’s okay.
I hope you eat as much gluten as you want.
I also hope you eat as much ice cream as you want. Because ice cream is so good.
Selfishly, I hope we achieve our goal of raising you bilingual. I think there aren’t enough people in America that speak more than one language.
I hope you always feel like you can come talk to Seth or I when something is wrong. Or when nothing is wrong. I hope you can feel like we are your friends and allies. But if you don’t feel like that, that’s okay.
I hope you explore. Dye your hair blue(if that’s still cool). Get a tattoo without telling us(even though you know Seth will happily buy you your first tattoo). Take spontaneous road trips with your friends. Take a summer off to backpack through Europe.
More than anything else, though, I hope you always know you’re loved and accepted, and I hope that you love and accept yourself. Always.
