I don't intend on having a daughter (or any children at all, for that matter) for a very long time. I know I am young and I don't know the first thing about parenting, but when the day comes, I do know that I want to be as amazing of a mother to my daughter that my mom has been to me. Because believe me, she has left an amazing example. So, with that being said, here are seven promises to my future daughter.
1. I promise to be your best friend.
I will be the person that knows you the best. I will always be available for you if you need a shoulder to cry on, no matter what time of day it is and no matter how big or small the reason may be. I will always try to make you laugh on your worst days. I will keep your secrets, I will always stand up for you and I will always be on your side even when you're wrong.
2. I won't be afraid to be your enemy.
As your mother, I promise to do whatever is best for you, even if you don't understand it at the time and even if that means I have to tell you, "No." We're going to fight, you're going to think that I'm trying to ruin your life and we're both going to get angry. Just know that I'm only looking out for you, and I'm always going to protect you, even if that means I have to protect you from yourself.
3. I promise that boys will break your heart.
Honey, if you are anything like me, then you are going to give your heart away way too easily. And if you are anything like me, you are going to do it more than once. You're going to get your heart broken and it's not going to be pretty -- it's going to be one of the hardest things that you'll go through. But I promise, I will be right there to wipe away every single tear and I'll listen to every single rant. I'll guide you and give you all of my best advice, and I promise I won't say, "I told you so," when you don't listen to it.
4. I promise to "dance it out."
Just like Cristina and Meredith from "Grey's Anatomy" (a fantastic TV show that you and I will undoubtedly binge on Netflix together once you're older), I promise that you and I are going to dance out our worries. I know I won't always be available for random dance parties because of work and other adult things like that, but I promise to try my hardest. It doesn't matter if you are heartbroken over a boy, failed a test or got in a fight with your best friend. Before we cry about it or talk about it, we'll just stop, drop everything and dance. It'll be awesome!
5. I promise to be your number one fan.
As your mother, I promise to support you in everything you do. I will be at every sports competition, every school play and, if you're like me, every choir concert. I don't care if you win or lose. You, my dear, will always be a star in my eyes; and no matter how it is that you're shining, I promise that my face will be in every audience that you stand in front of. No matter what.
6. I promise to love you even when you hate me.
I know there will be days when you won't want to speak to me or even look at me. I know there will be days when you won't understand why I do certain things. There will be days when you feel like you really do hate me, and maybe you'll even say it. But I promise, I still love you. I can't promise that I won't be hurt by the fights and angry words, but I will love you, unconditionally, forever.
7. I promise it won't be easy.
If there's one thing I can promise you for sure, it's that life is not going to be easy. At all. You're probably going to go through some stuff that will break you, but I promise you'll be stronger because of it. And I promise that I will be there to help you pick up the pieces. You will fail — a lot — but I don't care how many mistakes you make. I will never leave you, I will never give up on you and I will never love you any less. I promise.
