As I’ve gotten older, I’ve come to understand a lot of things. I’ve realized that I learned the hard way what others learned more easily. It’s as if I’d realized—far too late—that I’d been ill-prepared for what real life was like. It’s as if the gaps in my childhood had hit me right in the face as I approached my thirties.
From adolescence to adulthood, I gradually realized that I’d been ill-equipped from the very beginning. I taught myself many things that shaped my personality, but which also created some small gaps in it.
I look at you, my two treasures, and I wish with all my heart to give you every tool possible to fill your toolbox. So that you’ll be as ready as you can possibly be for what lies ahead.
Basic things like the importance of expressing your emotions, not being afraid of rejection, and understanding that it’s okay to feel uncomfortable in certain situations—but that anxiety is something very hard to control. I want you to be empathetic and never take anything for granted. I want you to learn to embrace both the joys and the sorrows with open arms, because nothing happens for no reason. I want you to be confident without being arrogant. I’d like you to be able to see the good in people and distance yourselves from toxic people.
But what I want above all else is for you to be happy in every aspect of your life.
I want you to be better equipped than I was, because a mom always wants the best for her children and wants everything to be easier for them.
To you, my big emotional guy, and to you, my intense little girl, I want to give you everything you need to have a well-stocked toolbox.