.letters to my daughter.

i am thirty-two years old. when my daughter, who is presently budding in my womb, reaches young adulthood, i will be around fifty. when i am fifty, my perceptions of life around me will surely be worlds different than they are right now. at this moment, i am closer to my own young adulthood and have clear memories of those times. at this moment, i am not holding this little girl in my arms who i will surely have a magnetism to protect against the whole world. at this moment, i do not have a daughter embarking on adulthood who is exploring all her life has to offer.



when i am fifty, what i am willing to share with my daughter, what advice i give her about life and how i present my lessons will be biased by my years of motherhood and guarded with walls of protection for her. plus, i'm probably way cooler now than i will be then. (see, i use uber-awesome terms like way cool). for these reasons, i have written my daughter, at this time in my life, letters to give her when she embarks on adulthood herself. i want her to be armed in her college years, twenties and beyond with what i consider wisdom from my current self.



i want to be open and honest with her. since early in my pregnancy, i've been writing her these letters. they're bound together in a journal that she can carry with her through her adult life. i'd like to imagine her being away at college and needing some reassurance about heartbreak or friendship and grabbing this journal to find some comfort...from her mom...from her mom when she was just another lady giving her advice.



the letters are written on a variety of topics that i feel like sharing with her. from the benefits of kindness to some of the trials of relationships to the joys of traveling to the need for a great chocolate recipe...there is no theme. the general idea of these letters i've handwritten to her are to share about all of life. there are so many facets of it worth exploring and that is what i attempt to do.



the letters are personal, written to elise, signed by her mom. some could be read to any girl and some are specifically about how her name was chosen, what her coming into the world means to me, favorite things of mine. regardless of the content of the letter, the ownership of it is granted from my heart to hers.



i hope she treasures them as she grows in life. and i pray that she knows how very special she is to me and how my love and respect for her are given in each pen stroke, on every page.