My daughter and I

(A Mother’s Reflection and Aspirations)

This has been in my drafts since 2020. My daughter will soon turn 5, and I feel it’s not too late to share it.

Having my daughter has been one of the greatest blessings of my life. Being a mom has opened my eyes to new perspectives, reshaping my habits and priorities. My daughter is still under a year old, so her personality is yet to fully emerge, but I am clear about the kind of mother I want to be and the role I hope to play in her life.

I want to guide her intentionally, ensuring she grows with clarity about her life and mine. I plan to document our journey together by writing letters to her, creating dashboards to track her milestones, and telling her meaningful stories to aid her growth. My goal is to preserve every memory we share, creating a legacy of love and lessons she can carry with her.

Having a daughter feels like having a lifelong best friend, a bond like no other. While she may not see me as her best friend immediately, I am confident that as she grows and understands life, she will recognize the depth of our relationship. Knowing that one day she might say, “My mom would do anything for me,” is a source of immense fulfillment. Motherhood, to me, is about truth, shared love and pain, unwavering sacrifices, and the unique confidence a child finds in their mother.

I never truly understood the bond between a mother and child for a long time, likely because I’ve been without a mother for much of my life. While I’ve always respected the connection, I didn’t fully grasp it until I became a mom myself. Now, I see it with clarity and gratitude.

Parenting is undeniably challenging — there’s no rulebook to follow. It’s about doing your best, one step at a time. Some days, I manage to stay composed; other days, I fall short, but I always try again the next day. My determination to be a better mom each day is what keeps me moving forward, despite the frustrations that come with raising a child.

My Goals for My Daughter

My greatest aspiration is to nurture my daughter into a woman who embodies these qualities:

• Independent, kind, loving, and God-fearing
• Responsible for herself and others
• Ambitious, resilient, and full of grit
• Fearless, intelligent, and inwardly beautiful
• Someone who loves deeply and fearlessly
• A woman who allows challenges to shape her positively, never letting them break her
• A dependable daughter, sister, friend, partner, and eventually a mother

Above all, I hope she grows into a woman who knows her worth, values herself deeply, and lets go of anything or anyone who fails to appreciate her.

This is the life I envision for both my daughter and myself, and I’m committed to walking this journey with her every step of the way.