As I watch my little girl grow and develop ideas and opinions of her own and go off to school to be further immersed in the world, I can’t help be think of the years to come. That in mind, here are 5 promises that I would like to keep to my daughter:
- As long as you remain honest with me, I will give you my trust.
- As long as you act responsibly (relatively), I will give you my respect.
- As long as you have something to show me, I will give you my admiration.
- As long as you have something to say, I will give you my ear.
- As long as you or I are alive, I will give you my heart (not strictly conditional).
I understand conditions, especially to respect and trust, but these sound more like teen contract ideas. Your expectations and conditions are different with a 5 year old and should focus more on how you can continue to build these characteristics into her. So I would reframe your good ideas into thoughts that commit you to being consistent about supporting her on her journey to character building. Which I know you are doing but I found myself unsettled by your wording.
The point of the post was supposed to address her at any point in her life – now, 10 years from now, 30 years from now, etc. – as the tone is how fast she is growing up. So while the message may be a little above her presently, it is kind of supposed to be (most likely she may not even read this for years if at all). But in short, I was being forward thinking, I let poetic rhythm guide me a little too much, and it was very late when I actually wrote it (which was a few nights before it was scheduled to go live).