My only child is started kindergarten this year and it had me thinking a lot about how quickly she’s growing up. Every day, she amazes me with her personality, sense of humor, creativity, and increasing intelligence. She asks questions and makes statements that catch me completely off-guard, and I couldn’t be more excited to see what the future holds for her.
So without further ado, here’s a list, from A-Z, of what I hope she will have (or continue to have) as she grows up.
A- accomplishments. Whether in schoolwork, career, family, or whatever area of life, I hope she’s proud of what she does and feels a sense of accomplishment.
B- bliss. I hope she is blissfully, ridiculously, happy in life that she’s able to let stress and drama just roll off her back.
C- creativity. As someone who is constantly making cards and gifts for others, and who once cut her own hair to create a special piece of art for her grandmother, I hope she never loses the love of creating.
D- diligence. I hope she works for what she wants. Works hard and doesn’t assume she deserves anything, and if she wants it badly enough, she won’t give up.
E- energy. She is utterly exhausting right now, but only because she is so energetic and truly seems excited about every aspect of life. I hope she never loses this energy.
F- family. We do not live close to any of our family. She may one day decide to move away, like her father and I did. If she does, I hope she never forgets that she can still rely on her family to love and support her.
G- girlfriends. Every girl needs a couple of good girlfriends to be able to laugh with, cry with, tell secrets to, and just be comfortable with.
H- humility. Yes, I want her to succeed, to be the best. But I hope she stays humble.
I- imagination. Thinks outside the box and continues to impress others with her clever solutions.
J- jokes. I love her. But right now her jokes are TERRIBLE! I hope she continues telling jokes because she thinks they are funny and they make her smile, but I REALLY hope she gets a little better at telling them!
K- kindness. Gives it. Gets it.
L- longevity. May she live long enough to achieve everything she hopes to achieve.
M- memories. I hope she makes them all and doesn’t forget to document some along the way.
N- NO! Knows when to say “no” and is never afraid to do so. Her life is hers, and she shouldn’t live it for anyone else.
O- opportunity. I hope she never feels she’s being held back because of her gender, race, or other factors beyond her control.
P- perseverance. I hope she never gives up.
Q- questions. Never stops asking them and learning from them.
R- resilience. She will fail occasionally. She’ll cry if she needs to. But she’ll learn from it and try again.
S- strength. Physical, mental, and emotional.
T- trust. I hope she’ll be someone others can rely on, but I also hope she always has others she can trust.
U- umbrellas. I want her to always have a physical umbrella available in case of rain, but I also want her to have emotional umbrellas in life: people, hobbies, places she can go when the metaphorical rain is falling.
V- vibrant. May she and her life always be bright and exciting.
W- willpower. She comes from a long line of stubborn women, so I know if she puts her mind to something, she will accomplish it.
X- (I’m going to cheat a little bit here…) eXperiences. Life isn’t just about doing well in school and getting a good job. I hope she experiences all life has to offer. I want her to travel, make friends, and do things that scare her.
Y- YES! I want her to say “yes” to the things she wants. Be willing to struggle, to fail, and know, it will all be worth it in the end.
Z- zen. Zest and Zeal were the “z” words that initially came to mind, but I also hope she finds her happy place. I hope she gives herself grace and allows herself to step back and take a breath when she needs it.
Of course, some of these are similar to others, and there’s no way I could truly include everything I want for my baby. Other hopes that come to mind are empathy, love, tenacity, vitality…it truly is an endless list.
Ultimately, I want the best for her. I want her to be happy, healthy, successful, and kind. And I hope she always knows how proud she makes me.
