What I Would Tell My Child if I Could Only Say One Thing

In an earlier post, I had posed the question: “What would you tell your child if you could only say one thing?” Only one reader posted a response: “Let your inner voice be your guide. I love you.” Thank you for your response!

My last message to my child would be (and you never know when this might happen!): Do everything you want to do – and nothing you don’t.”

I’m digressing to share an anecdote. Eleanor was a loving daughter. When her mother died, she decided to read aloud at the funeral her mother’s last words to her. And so she took out a manuscript titled: “Mother’s Last Words, in 206 verses”. 🙂 🙂

In the spirit (but only the spirit!) of the above anecdote, I would like to elaborate on my own ‘last words’. I would tell my daughter:

  1. Don’t worry about whether the thing you want to do is the ‘right’ thing to do or not. If you want to do it, go ahead and do it. Don’t worry about what people will say. This is your life, not other people’s. Do what you want.
  2. Love yourself best – nobody else but yourself. Everyone else comes second – or third – or tenth – or isn’t on the list … 🙂
  3. Life is an adventure. Things not working out the way you’d like them to is part of the adventure. If everything in life were how we’d like it to be, human beings would be suicidal – there would be no impetus to do anything. It would be b-o-r-i-n-g.
  4. You will feel hurt by people and circumstances. It’s part of the adventure. People don’t always mean to hurt you. Move on.
  5. Bless you! Have a great life! 🙂

I’m still waiting to hear what you would tell your child…

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11 Responses to What I Would Tell My Child if I Could Only Say One Thing

  1. VS says:

    Good, strong, beautiful words, Vinita – you got my response too for the earlier article, remember, albeit on facebook – “I will always love you, wherever I am, and I will always be proud of you – you are the greatest blessing in my life!”

    Keep up the inspiring articles!

    Love and light,
    VS

    • I think we all feel the same way, but we get bogged down by the minutiae of life and lose focus. I find this is a great way to bring the focus back to what is really important. Thanks for reading and sharing! Keep writing in! 🙂

      • saheli ghosh says:

        dear vinita,
        I have been following your articles and they are a great read. I am learning to see my own child in a different way. My last words would be ‘god bless you and I love you’. may be if i had some more time then i would also say follow your heart and don’t hurt anybody.
        keep writing,
        best wishes
        saheli

        • Saheli, I’m so glad you’re getting some value from the blog! 🙂 We tend to get so involved in the ‘business of parenting’ that we sometimes lose sight of how little time we really have with our wonderful children. The blog is one of the ways I stay focused on the basics. Thanks for reading – and for sharing! 🙂

  2. Preeti Hans says:

    I would sing 2 lines from one of the bacardi blast songs
    ” Be what u wanna be, taking things the way they come.”

  3. mooremom523 says:

    Wow only one thing is tough when my entire blog is filled with what I want to tell her. I guess I would tell her she is beautiful. That may sound shallow but girls don’t hear it enough. The media crams there heads with products and procedures to be MORE beautiful, clothes to make them MORE sexy or alluring….when really beauty is so much more and each girl needs to know what true beauty is and be told how gorgeous they really are.

  4. The link worked great! I read many of your posts, and they resonate deeply with me. Great work – keep ’em coming!

    What a lovely idea to leave messages for your little girl! And kudos to you for doing it while she’s so little and you’re so hands-on involved with her! 🙂

    Vinita

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