10 Things I Hope My Future Daughter Never Does # 10#

They say a child is a reflection of their parent, that the way they were raised dictates a great portion of the person they become. I’m not a parent, and I have no idea whether the aforementioned statement is true, however if it is, I hope I am able to raise a daughter who never…

1. Doubts herself. In a world where it’s so easy to second guess your decisions, I hope she has enough confidence to stay true to what she believes in.

2. Thinks she's anything but beautiful. I hope she never compares herself to anyone else, and is comfortable in her own skin. I hope she appreciates her own individuality, and sees herself for the perfection that she is.

3. Refuses to stand up for herself. When others put her down or slight her, I hope she has the backbone to fight back, and to be assertive. To show anyone who dares to harm her that she will not just lie down and take it, and that she will not be messed with.

4. Lets her dreams pass her by. I hope she never looks solely through the lens of practicality and reason. That she lets her imagination run wild, even if there’s not a sliver of a chance that they could come into reality. I know that if she dreams big enough, she will come close to making it happen.

5. Makes decisions based on what other people think. I hope she realizes early on that other people are too involved in their own lives in order to make a proper judgment about anyone else, and that she makes her decisions based on what’s right for her and not anyone else.

6. Feels she has to compromise her integrity. So many feel they have to do something they consider to be wrong or not following with their sense of right or wrong in order to get what they want, and I hope she never feels she has to do that - even if she does feel she has to, I hope she never does.

7. Stops seeing the beauty in life. There is a lot of darkness in the world, that’s true. There is also a great deal of light, perhaps more light if you’re willing to look. I hope she always looks for the good in life, that she doesn’t live in fear or despair. Life is way too short to live like that.

8. Takes herself too seriously. I always say that if you don’t laugh, you cry. I’m going to do my best to teach her that you can’t take yourself so seriously all the time, you have to laugh at yourself, you have to laugh at life and all of its craziness. It really is laughable, all of it at times.

9. Forgets to return to the moment. We seem to live in the past or the future, and never exactly right now. Eckhart Tolle continuously stresses that we’re only happy when we’re living right now, in the present moment. In the present moment, everything is fine. I want to show my daughter that she can always return to the now in times of worry.

10. Gives up on love. If she does love right, she’ll get her heart broken - probably more than once. It’s so easy to say, I’m done, to give up, throw in the towel, but I hope she presses on and finds the one who makes her happy. I have a funny feeling that she will.