Friday Five: Things I Want My Son to Know

1. You changed my life.
From the first moment I saw you, my life was forever changed. I was forever changed. You taught me the meaning of unconditional love. You continue to change my life every single day by showing me new things and just when I think I cannot love you more, I do.

2. Be Proud of Who You Are.
You are so little right now, not even two years old. You have changed so much since you were a baby and I am enjoying the front row seats of watching your personality grow and develop. I do not know what kind of boy or man you will be. I do not know if you will be laid back like your Daddy or high strung like myself. What I do know is that no matter what, you should embrace and be proud of the person that you are and know that I will always be proud of you and love you.Always.

3. There are mean people in the world - strive to not be one of them.
From an early age you will learn that there are good guys and bad guys. Fairy tales, movies, and books always have a bad guy. The problem with real life is that the bad guy is not always so obvious. The bad guy in real life doesn't always have red eyes, an evil laugh, or a snake following him around. Sometimes in real life the bad guy ends up being your best friend, your boss, or even a member of your own family. Have a kind heart, speak kind words, and strive to be a good guy.

4. Be a Gentleman.
It took me having you to understand why moms have such a hard time when their sons start dating. I look at you and still see my little baby and I am sure I will still see my little baby when you are no longer a baby and more like a hormone-filled teenage boy getting ready for your first date. Be a kind boyfriend. Open the doors for her, buy her dinner, offer your coat, bring her flowers, call her for no reason, tell her she's beautiful, and don't say I love you unless you mean it. Those three little words do something to girls that boys will never understand. But if you do love her, tell her. Always be honest. Guard her, protect her, stand up for her. And if your feelings for her change, still be kind and honest with her but do not lead her on. Remain friends. And it's never okay to date any of her friends.

5. One day, you will understand.
One day, years from now, when you are holding your newborn baby for the very first time, all of a sudden you will understand the love your Daddy and I have for you. Until this moment, you will know that we love you but you won't really grasp the intensity of our love until right then. And you will finally understand why we did the things we did for you, why we punished you when you needed it, why we wanted you to be a great man, and why we loved you at all times. You will understand in that moment the love that a parent has for their child that cannot be fully understood until you become a parent yourself.