If our family had a motto, it would be Live. Laugh. Love. We'd probably also throw in Learn for good measure. And because this is how we live, it is also how we will parent.
Live.
Living means taking advantage of all of the opportunities that life presents to try something new. A new food. A new activity. A new challenge. As we have always done with each other, as parents we will encourage our child to not only be open to new things, but to openly seek them out. We will support them if they find their new passion in life and we will encourage them to try again if they don't.
Living also means going through life with eyes wide open. It means not taking anything for granted. It means appreciating the little things in life like the color of a sugar maple in the fall, or a visit from a hummingbird, or the joy of making someone laugh. We try to make a conscious effort to stop for a few moments and appreciate those things that surround us each day, and we will help our child live life fully without rushing through so that they take the time to really appreciate all the beauty and wonder around them.
Laugh.
Laughter is the best medicine. And a family that laughs together, stays together. We believe that there are very few things in this world that can't be made better if one exercises a healthy sense of humor. Whether it's a good joke or a funny moment, laughter has the power to bring people together, relieve stress and make people happy. We support each other in difficult times and through difficult situations through our sense of humor and we hope that because of that, our child will learn that even in the most difficult times, it helps to laugh.
Love.
Love isn't a simple word to define. Love means treating someone with respect. Love means supporting one another in their passions. Love means being there as a cheerleader when encouragement is needed, with a shoulder to cry on when comfort is needed and offering a pat on the back when congratulations are in order. Love means doing things for someone because it will make their life easier even if they never notice. Love means making an effort everyday to tell a person how much they mean to you.
Our child will receive our love, respect, support and encouragement in everything that they endeavor to do. And we hope that through our actions, they will learn to share their love, in all its guises, with all of the family that loves them, too. They will understand the simple math that love is the only thing that multiplies by being divided.
Learn.
We believe that education is important and seek to learn something new everyday. We believe that teachers are important in our child's education, but that learning doesn't stop when a student leaves the classroom. We look forward to being active participants in our child's education, partnering with their teachers to provide a life-long love of learning.
We want our child to go to college, and will support them in their chosen field. We will begin preparing financially for their college education as soon as we are parents, so that our child has the opportunity to go wherever their desires and talents take them.
