dream big little ones

All parents have dreams for their children.

I think it's a natural part of raising a child

to think about where they might end up some day.

As much as it sometimes isn't that nice

to think about them all grown up,

flying the nest,

not needing us quite so much,

at the same time that is what we do it for.

My own mum says

"You only borrow children."

And I think that sums it up perfectly.

We only get them for a little while,

a small period of time

to mould and hopefully make a mark,

before they live their own lives.

My children are the proudest, 

most important 

and most totally beautiful part of my story,

but I'll only over be the supporting role in theirs.

Its tough,

but it's true

and I wouldn't have it any other way.

It just means we have to make the most of the time when we are a major role,

when we can be the centre of their world

and make a difference as to how the rest of their story goes.

Every parent wants the best for their children,

to see them confident and well rounded,

to see them embrace opportunities and do well in life,

to see them safe and happy.

And it is in these earliest years 

where we set the scene for the rest of their lives

we get to build the foundations for their futures.

In reality, where they end up is down to them,

but also in part,

down to the values that we give them now as children.

And it isn't what they do and where they go that matters to me most,

but the kind of big people that my little people become.

I dream that my children will be polite, respectful and kind.

Not just to other people but to their planet too.

Those values cost nothing but are worth everything

and nothing could make me prouder 

than hearing somebody say that my children had good manners and were good people.

I dream that my children will try their very best at everything.

My husband and I are both terribly guilty of giving up things that we aren't good at.

We're both naturally pretty bright so we've always kind of cruised along and done okay.

But I often wonder what I could do if I really really set my mind to it.

And I really want that kind of mindset for my children.

I guess maybe I should start leading by example.

I dream that my children will be brave and strong.

I hope that they'll have courage in their convictions

and confidence in themselves and in their abilities

so that they will embrace all the opportunities that life offers them.

I want them to be beautiful inside and out

and to know that about themselves.

I dream that my children will get to live big love stories.

I want them to do what they love.

I want them to be surrounded by things they love.

I want them to love and be loved.

I have always liked the idea that a good parent gives their children wings and roots.

Wings to fly away and to soar high

and roots that bring them home again and hold them steady through life's struggles.

And as much as I have no crystal ball

and their lives will never really be in my hands,

as their mummy and daddy we are building their futures in their present.

Being a parent is all about nurturing those wings and roots,

all of the time,

so in a way we are shaping those dreams all the time,

and hopefully making them come true.

So I dream big for my little ones

until they are big enough to have even bigger dreams for themselves.