My wish list

Maybe I'm just naive but I honestly cannot wrap my head around all the controversy going on right now in the parenting world. It all started with the Time magazine cover of a mom breastfeeding her son and it has just exploded on the internet since. Does anybody even know if the magazine is even out yet so people can read the article?

I've read so many different newspaper, blog, and magazine posts the past few days and it amazes me how heated people get. What happened to being happy with the fact that your child is healthy and happy? Who cares how the child was fed (or for how long) or how they learned to sleep through the night. I've said it before and I'll say it again, I am very proud to have nursed my son for over a year but in no way shape or form do I feel the need or care to look down upon people that don't. My mom made the decision to formula feed me and I think that I turned out pretty good.

As a mom I realize that every decision I make will impact my children in one way or another but at the end of the day.....I just want them to be happy and healthy. I read an article this morning by Kara Baskin about her wish list for her son. Read it here if you'd like. She seems to share my sentiment and has inspired me to share a few of my hopes for my children.

I hope that they know the things in life that really matter don't come easily and you must work hard for what you want.

I hope that they are polite and kind. 'Please' and 'thank you' are the most simple words but also the most forgotten.

I had to steal this from Kara because I agree wholeheartedly. I hope I raise a child who will stick up for a kid who’s being bullied on the playground. I also hope I raise a child who, if he’s the one being bullied, fights back. Hard. Oh, and if he’s the bully? I hope he realizes that his mother will cause him more pain than a bully ever could.

I hope that they love to read as much astheir mother.

I hope that they grow up and look back at the relationships of their parents and grandparents to realize that there is true love out there and to never settle for anything less.

I hope their hearts are full of compassion for others, human and animals alike.

I hope that they have a love of animals and think there's nothing better than pets in a house like their mother.

I hope that they are outgoing and can carry on a conversation with anyone (whether you like them or not) like their father.

I hope that they know their parents will always be there for them but also realize that they are their own person.

I hope they they know that not all their prayers will be answered and that's okay.

What are the hopes for your children be it born or not, adopted or biological? My hope is that whatever they are, that health and happiness are among the top.