To my future daughter in law.

To my future daughter in law. I haven't met you yet, but there are a few things I want to say to you. I want to start off by saying that I know the stigma society has placed on our relationship, and I want to say right now that none of it applies to us. I do not hate you, I do not want you and my son to break up. I believe you will be an incredible mother and I thank God everyday that my son will someday find you. But when we meet, please be patient with me, because long before he was your husband, he was my little boy, my best friend, my partner in crime, my ice cream buddy, and my heart is filled with him.

When your husband was placed in my arms for the first time, I stared into his tiny little eyes and my heart filled with fear for the day it had to let him go. I wanted more than anything to keep him all to myself, I wanted every snuggle, every kiss, every nap, if he so much as blinked I wanted it to be in my direction. I didn't even want to share him with his dad. I was terrified of the day that some little girl came along and took his heart right out of my hands. And for a little while, I hated you. But being a mom is a funny thing, it may be the only time in life where something can completely destroy your heart while simultaneously being the only thing that can keep your heart beating.  Your husband is not even three and I  can already see that he is going to outgrow me. He wants to play with other kids on the playground, he is already chasing girls, and while he still wants to snuggle me when he is sick, I am no longer the friend he turns to when he wants to play race cars.

As much as I want to keep him little forever, I know that his heart will be happiest if I let him go, so all I can do is pray and beg God that every person he meets is deserving and gentle with his beautiful little heart. While my heart breaks when he ditches me on the swings to chase after some little girl on the slide, it swells with happiness when I see the smile he tries to hide as he holds her hand to help her up the steps. You see my angel, the only thing a mom wants more than for her children to be with her forever, is for them to be the happiest they can be. And as much as it kills us, we all know that as some point, no matter how much we try, we will no longer be what their heart needs to feel complete. So we pray, every single day, that the right women will find them and give them every happiness we would give them if we could only be what they needed.

my beautiful girl, you are not a threat, you are my God answered prayer. Your marriage will be more sacred to me than my own, because the happiness of my son depends on it. But that doesn't mean it isn't hard my angel. I am his mom, I am the woman who wipes away his tears when someone steals his toy, and the one who comforts him when he's sad, I wipe every booger, pack every lunch, Stay up every long night that he is sick, drive him to every game, and someday you will come along and end all of that. And I will know, probably before he will, when he meets you, the woman who will take my place.

Darling girl, when we meet it will be hard. It might take me a minute to find my footing, because it will be the moment that I KNOW that my little boy, will never be mine again. From that moment forward his heart will belong to you, and that will hurt, but it will also fill me with happiness to know that his heart is full. Please know that I love you, I love you for being everything I could never be to him. I love your for the life that he gets to have because of you. I love you for all the laughs, all the love, all the memories he gets to make with you. You see, as much as it kills me, I am just a chapter in his life, you are his whole book, and I couldn't pick anyone better for him than you.

Angel girl, When you look at him you will see your husband, your protector, a man, but I will still see a little boy in a race car shirt who just skinned his knee on the playground. Because of this I may call more often than you would like. Please know that I don't want to intrude on your time with him, its just that when he leaves a piece of my heart will be missing and I will never be ready, nor will I want to ever, fully let that go.

Beautiful girl, you may not realize it but you mean more to me than I can ever express. I want to be there for you in any way you may ever need. I want to be there when you pick the dress you are going to walk down the aisle to my son in. I want to lend you my grandmothers necklace for your something borrowed. I want to help you pick out bottles and diapers. I want to sit on the floor in a mountain of baby clothes in a brand new nursery helping you sort out sizes. I want to be there for you after you bring that baby home, to cook and clean and give you time to rest with your baby. Just as my mother in law has done for me. And darling girl, do not for one moment think that I am not on your side. I raised your husband, I have seen the good the bad and the ugly. I know how stubborn he can be. I have watched as he intentionally did exactly what I told him not to and called for my attention while doing it. I am not under any illusions that your marriage will be without bumps, but I pray every day that the beauty will outshine the hardships.

While I promise to keep my lips sealed when I haven't been asked, do not think for one minute that I will not have your back if I am called on for advice. There is never anything you cannot come to me with my darling. He may be my son, but you will be my daughter, and once I have met you, I will never stop loving you.