Hopes and Dreams for Baby

You know those baby books? The ones you get gifted at the baby shower and are supposed to use to document the first year or so of your baby’s life? We’ve got two of them. We’ve flipped through their pages, trying to choose which of the two we’ll use most often and in an “official” capacity… and I think we’ve made our pick.

And in the book that I think we’ve picked, there’s a page that has a simple title at the top, and room to write to fill the page.

It says…

Hopes and Dreams for Baby

When I saw it, it reminded me of things I’ve been thinking about often as we prepare to welcome our first child. My first child. The first person in the world that I will have the responsibility to protecting, teaching, forming, and more.

A lot of those thoughts have come as a result of current events and tensions in the world. A quick scroll through social media will show you the hate and ignorance that is gladly shared from one person to another. And it gets to me. It makes me sad and angry.

So I try to think of the things that I want for my baby. I try to concentrate on the positive possibilities that exist in this world for them as a person. And I hope and dream for them to have a happy, fulfilled, loving, fruitful life.

I know I’ll probably come up with a lot more to add to this list… but for now, here are my hopes and dreams for my baby.

My Hopes and Dreams for My Baby

Love

I hope, maybe more than anything else, that my baby knows love. I hope they feel loved from their family and friends every day. Even on bad days, I hope they know that someone loves them for exactly who they are, who they can be, and that they are worthy of that love.

I also hope that they love openly and freely and honestly. I hope they love their friends and tell them that they love them all the time. I hope they love good partners as they go through life, and love them with everything they have to give. And I hope that they learn that giving love, being open to love, and living with love in their heart is a good way to be.

Empathy

I hope that my child becomes a great friend and communicator. I hope they care about other people. And I hope they have empathy for the troubles (big and small) that the people around them go through.

It will start early with bumps and bruises on the playground. It will continue through failed math tests and broken hearts in school. And sadly, it will include friends losing loved ones. I hope that my baby knows empathy and remains warm and thoughtful and supportive when they’re needed as they go through life.

Curiosity

I truly hope that my baby is curious. I hope they want to know everything about everything. I hope they have so many questions that I have to learn new things to keep up with them.

And while I know there will be times that I can’t keep up, and that I won’t have all the answers, I hope for the who, what, when, where, and why.

Now, along with that curiosity I hope they have a desire to learn and find the answers to their questions… I hope.

An Open Mind

It’s really easy to feel like you know everything about something. It’s really easy to only see one side of the coin. I hope my baby learns to at least want to see both.

In 2018 we see a world that wants to make issues into black and white / left and right. We want to remove the grey area where common ground could be found, and where understanding is.

I hope that my child grows up to understand that there are more stories to be heard, and that they want to hear them.

And even if they don’t agree with what they hear, they know that it’s important to hear it.

A Love Of Music

Music is a massive part of my life. I’m connected to it and the people that make it in a personal and professional capacity. And I love it. I hope my baby does too.

I hope it starts early, with lullabies and nursery rhymes. I hope they love when I sing to them and when Jess sings to them, and when my mom sings to them.

And as they grow, I hope they find love for music of the present and the past. I hope they disregard the opinions of others and get all-in on the music that moves them.

Selfishly, I hope they find love for some sort of singer-songwriter vibe… but if they don’t, that’s cool too.

A Love Of Sports

Here’s another selfish one… but not completely.

I believe in the power of sports for many reasons. I believe that playing sports as a child helps to foster an understanding and ability for teamwork. I believe that learning to win and lose with dignity on the field helps to make it easier to deal with the ups and downs of life as a teen and adult.

I also believe that loving a sports team as a fan creates a feeling of community, of believing in something bigger than oneself. And while it totally sucks when your team loses, it’s amazing when they win.

For all of these reasons, plus the pure joy and discovery that comes from learning the ins and outs of a sport, I hope my baby loves sports.

I also hope they love sports because I want to watch sports with them. I want to sit on the couch and talk about baseball and basketball and hockey and go over the little things in the game and cheer loudly for the big moments. I would love that.

A Love Of Stories

I love stories. I love storytelling. I love becoming immersed in the stories of others. And I hope my baby does too.

They may identify with novels, comic books, plays, TV, movies, or interviews and conversations, I don’t care. I just hope they find a way to connect with the power of stories.

And if they want to be a storyteller like their daddy tries to be, I will be there with tips and support and love.

Their Mama’s Love for Art

I can’t paint or draw any more than a stick figure family. But Jess can and she loves it.

I hope that our baby does too. I hope it starts with crayon scribbles and finger painting and turns into something they love to do as they grow and learn. I don’t care if they’re ever very good. But if they love it and appreciate it, then any level of talent will be enough.

I also hope they love looking at art the way Jess does. In galleries and museums, walking and stopping to appreciate the works of talented people.

My Mama’s Faith

Whether this baby embraces the church, or God, or they choose another path, I hope they have faith.

I hope they have faith in their family and friends. I hope they have faith in their community. I hope they have faith that right will be done, and that the light will defeat the dark.

My Daddy’s Fireside Manner

One of my favourite things to do with my dad as an adult, and one of the things I miss most, was just sitting and talking.

We talked about sports and life and family and friends. We talked while we ate and drank and watched the light of a fire.

I also loved it as a kid, on camping trips with marshmallows and a battery powered radio, and just me and my brother and my dad by the fire.

I hope that my baby learns to love that too. To just sit by the fire (or without a fire) and talk with someone that they love and enjoy the moments and conversation as they happen.

My Left-Handedness

This last one is mostly trivial, but I think it would be cool.

I hope that my baby is left-handed so I can teach them to write like me (ink smudged hand and all), and to throw a ball like me, and to use the ugly green scissors that I used.

Because even if they don’t like any of the things I like, or look like me, or anything else, I’d be able to look at them every time they eat or write and know that they were at least a little bit like their daddy.