Letter to my children

Dear children,

You aren’t here yet. Neither is your mother. However, one day we will all be ‘here’. This is my letter to you for whenever you choose to read. There are many more to come.

Get ready for an adventure. Lots of adventures, actually. Being a kid in this household requires a sense-of-humor, a robust spirit and a crazy attitude. I will never restrain you in a bubble. You are encouraged to go out there and get your hands dirty. Get into fights. Climb trees. Scale walls. A little dirt don’t hurt. Play cricket. Splash around in the beach. Cut class to watch a movie (don’t let your Ma find out though). One day when you’re grown enough, even get your hearts broken. Meet this world, meet the real people, the honest ones, the kind ones, the flakes. Meet them all. Only then will you develop that thing they call ‘tolerance’.

Your father will often come up with outlandish ideas that will make you roll-your-eyes. Bear with him. Activities in this household might include spreading out a large map before we travel on the study floor and plan our route, they might include going to a soup kitchen and helping out on weekends, they might include bringing your mother breakfast in bed, they might also include a water-hose fight in the garden. Three dogs will also live with us. They will as is easily predictable become equal members of our family. Be prepared. Be very prepared. Spontaneous. Your mother has the last word of course. Always.

It is also highly likely that one or more of you might be adopted. You will never find a shortage of love in this household. It has enough and more love for each individual. When the day comes when you find out about where you came from, we will deal with it. Together.

You will often try to pull the wool over my eyes with habits you might pick up or activities that might be unacceptable to your mother and I. Been there, done that. All of it. I invite you to try.

Your father will also have a den in the house. You are not allowed to enter. Ever. (He does know though that you will find ways to sneak in when he is away).Your father also from time to time will watch football or cricket, while you are allowed and even encouraged to curl up in his lap and take a nap, it would be highly unwise to try to (or even suggest) change the channel.

We will as you grow up be friends more than anything else. Friendship above all else.

I will tell you stories from my life. From the past. History. Not to protect you from my mistakes but to show you that stuff happens in everyone’s life.

These are not plans, my children. They are not objectives. They are not goals. They are not even dreams. They are mere predictions for what might come.

I look forward to meeting you.

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