Dear Offspring,

First of all, I’m sorry I called you offspring. To be fair, you don’t exist yet, so you don’t have names. Second of all, I’ll be honest—I have no idea what I’m doing in life. I’m currently in college and my primary source of energy is ramen noodles. I know very little about taking care of myself, so I know even less about taking care of you. I know I want you, though. I know I am capable of raising you someday, though. I know this because of how I was raised, and what I can envision my life to be like.

I promise first to love you all of the time, 24/7/365. I will do my very, very best to make you feel loved every single day. I promise you hugs and kisses and constant affection until you despise me for it. It is in your best interest that I get lipstick on your cheek.

I promise to be your friend. First, I must be your parent, but I promise to share my life stories and challenges with you when you are old enough to understand them.

I promise to give you tickles when you are little and laugh at silly things with you, for your whole life. I will be a smiling face for you, even when my own life is a struggle. I want you to have a constant source of positivity in your life.

I promise to read to you, every single day. I promise to give you a nurturing environment where your mind can grow and thrive, because you, my child(ren), deserve such.

I promise to be attentive to you, and to put you first. It is my obligation as a mother to seek your needs before my own. My world will be revolved around you.

I promise to be a role model for you. I will do my best to demonstrate the values I hope to instill in you someday. I will model good character for you in hard work, honesty, and perseverance.

I promise to work hard to provide you with a comfortable living environment where all your needs are met. I cannot promise a mansion, but I can promise I will provide you a loving and safe home.

I promise to watch Disney movies with you, whenever you want. They all have wonderful life lessons we can learn, together.

I promise to teach you that learning begins at birth and does not cease until our life does. I want to teach you the power of knowledge and how it can change the world.

I promise to play games with you and pretend to be what your imagination comes up with. Imaginative play is so important and I want to be a part of yours.

I promise to work hard at my marriage and/or relationships to show you that love is not easy, but is possible. I want to model for you the type of love I want you to have someday.

I promise to be there for you, all the time, no matter what. I will try to guide you through life’s challenges—there will be many. I cannot promise to handle life for you, but I can help you deal with life as it comes to you.

I promise to protect you until the day I die. I will spend every ounce of my energy to make you feel safe on a daily basis. There are some things I cannot control, but I will always be here for you.

I promise to tell you no, like my parents did for me. I will help you grow into a strong and respectable person. You may not realize it at the time, but I am doing what is absolutely necessary for your development.

I promise to take you to church and to teach you about God and how much he loves you. Even as I struggle with my faith, I will teach you the importance of a spiritual life and how it can change you.

I promise to let you be who you are, and to provide you with opportunities to nurture your curiosity. Whether it is athletics, music, art, drama, or rock collecting, I will support you in what you decide to love.

I promise to tell you that you are beautiful. Everything I’ve ever wanted in a person, I’m positive will live inside of you. I will do my best, for the rest of my life, to encourage you and care for you to the very best of my ability. I will show you to hold steadfastly to your values, but never to be anything less than kind to others. I will teach you that some people are wonderful and others are evil. I want you to know that you do not need to bend yourself to be confined to society. Stand tall, be brave, and be true to who you are because life does not ever slow down and it does not ever get easier.

Lastly, I want you to know that I am human and I promise I will fail you. I will not be a perfect mother but I’ll be damned if I do anything less than give you my 100 percent. I can’t even fathom how much I will love you, but by the time you read this, hopefully you will know.

Love,

Mom