The Letters I'm Writing For My Children

As Mother's Day approaches, I've been reflecting on something that's become unexpectedly meaningful in my parenting journey.

Between the chaos of snack time, bedtime negotiations, and constant "Mom, watch this!" moments, I often find those deeper, important conversations with my kids getting lost. The timing never seems right to share the meaningful insights I hope will shape them.

A few months ago, I started journaling for my children. After putting them to bed one night, mind racing with things I wished I'd said, I grabbed a notebook and began writing. I wrote about resilience after watching my daughter struggle with a puzzle. About kindness when my son shared his snack. About all the things I hope they'll understand someday.

These journals have become a sanctuary for parenting thoughts that live between "too complex for a 4-year-old" and "too important to forget." Some entries preserve memories – funny mispronunciations or small moments of growth. Others are life lessons I want to pass down.

There's something freeing about writing to their future selves. I'm more honest and vulnerable. I share my own mistakes and what they've taught me. I express a depth of love that might otherwise go unspoken.

I don't know when I'll give these journals to my children – perhaps when they graduate or become parents themselves. But I find comfort knowing that someday, they'll understand what was in my heart during these fleeting, wonderful early years.

If you're feeling that familiar "am I teaching them enough?" anxiety, consider starting your own journal. It doesn't need to be elaborate – just a place to hold the wisdom that sometimes gets lost in the everyday chaos of raising little humans.