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What Is Your Greatest Hope For Your Children?

Posted on 08/16/2012 by Backpacking Dad

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I was asked, on a questionnaire, about my greatest hope for my children. I filled in the space, thinking the whole time that this question was a waste of time. What is my greatest hope for them? “That they are happy,” I say, in a smarmy voice, mocking the question. “That they are healthy,” I offer, in the same voice. What is my greatest hope for them? I don’t know. I don’t have a greatest hope for them.

I do have many, many everyday sorts of hopes for them. I hope they don’t smoke. I hope they don’t hurt themselves with drugs, or alcohol. I hope they navigate cruel relationships with resilience. I hope they fail well. I hope they love more things than they hate. I hope they think well of me when they are older. I hope they respect me while they are younger. I hope they respect their bodies; I hope they don’t get vain in their teens. I hope they aren’t cruel. I hope they are loved. I hope they are interesting. I hope they are confident. I hope they are resilient.

I hope if one of them does something remarkable that the other will do some remarking. I hope if one of them does something amazing that the other will be amazed. I hope they love each other for the rest of their lives.

I hope they visit on weekends, in summers, at Christmas and for our birthdays. I hope they love to travel.

I hope they earn their lives before spending them.

These are my hopes. Not one is my greatest hope. I’m always hoping.

11 thoughts on “What Is Your Greatest Hope For Your Children?”

  1. melanie says:
    08/16/2012 at 10:59 AM

    now that is a fantastic blog post… YES to all of that

    1. Backpacking Dad says:
      08/16/2012 at 11:04 AM

      Thank you, delightful and kind reader Melanie.

  2. neal call says:
    08/16/2012 at 4:14 PM

    Totally on-board with never-ending little hopes. They add up to something that’s much harder to express, and perhaps can’t be expressed without dumbing it down far, far too much.

    1. Backpacking Dad says:
      08/16/2012 at 4:31 PM

      Yeah. Smarmy voice: “I just want them to be happy….”

  3. Sharibrat says:
    08/16/2012 at 6:36 PM

    Very well said. I’ll be sharing this one and also saving it for future reading.

    1. Backpacking Dad says:
      08/16/2012 at 10:23 PM

      Cool.

      Cool cool cool.

  4. Melissa says:
    08/17/2012 at 3:25 AM

    You rock. That is all.

  5. KimMoldofsky says:
    08/17/2012 at 5:46 AM

    This. Is fabulous.

  6. Bethany says:
    08/17/2012 at 6:21 AM

    Shawn, this is so good. You put it just right – all the hopes… surely all the small ones add up to a life worth living.

  7. Justin Rains says:
    08/17/2012 at 6:28 AM

    I’m with you. Happy and healthy. I hope they have the means to provide for themselves as they get older.

  8. IlinaP says:
    09/18/2012 at 8:29 AM

    So well put! I agree with each and every hope.

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