The life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. will be celebrated this weekend throughout the United States. Even if you do nothing to celebrate or acknowledge Dr. King, I think the holiday is a great opportunity to talk to children about diversity, fairness, equality, kindness, friendship and peace.
Every year since my kids were born, I’ve been reading Kadir Nelson’s book I Have a Dream with the kids. The book contains snippets from the famous “I Have a Dream” speech as well as the speech in its entirety in the back of the book. There is also an accompanying CD to go along with it.
Reading this book makes me think about my own dreams for my children. As parents, we all want the best for our children, right? In essence, we want them to be smart, successful and to achieve all of their life goals.
Here are some of my hope and dreams for my children:
- To be be happy, loving, respectful, and productive citizens of the world
- To be confident
- To think for themselves and form their own opinions
- To be successful in anything they put their minds to
- To always know their parents love and support them no matter what they do
- To dare to be different despite what others may think or say
- To be doers and not dreamers (from Shonda Rhimes book Year of Yes)
- To work hard and play harder
- To be loving and respectful of nature and the environment
- To be willing to experience new and different things
- To be curious, life-long learners and readers
- To respect other people no matter what their differences may be
- To love life with zest and vigor
- To share their love with others and to be loved by others
- To give back to those in need and to help make this world a better place no matter how small it may be
- To be a good friend to others
- To choose the right way even when the right way is much harder
- To make mistakes and learn from them
- To take risks and not be afraid of failure
- To be healthy
- To follow their passions and to live fully
- To dance like no one is watching
- To take amazing adventures (and sometimes take mommy and daddy along for the ride too!)
Ultimately, I hope my kids’ lives are filled with happiness, giggles, safety, and good health. I want their lives to be filled with gratitude, joy, and giving.
Cheers to you, Dr. King on your birthday in heaven! Thank you for the opportunity to meditate on your message and your legacy.
Your turn: What are your hopes and dreams for your children? Do they mirror your own? Feel free to share in the comments.
What an inspiring post! I want my kids’ hopes and dreams to slightly mirror mine, lol. I want them to continue to help others, that’s a characteristic that makes a well rounded person. I want them to be different than me regarding how they tackle problems, to be more carefree and brush things off, not letting things bother them too much. To own up their mistakes is important as well, perfectly sets the stage for humility.
Thank you, Tiffany! Those are wonderful goals – I love them!
Those are great dreams for your kids. I have similar ones for mine, and also to find a spouse that will treat them right, and to follow God.
Thank you, Brenda! Best of luck finding a spouse…thanks for stopping by!
I don’t have kids, but I do have some dreams for my students: that they grow up to be independent and critical thinkers who do good in the world.
Very nice! I can only hope I have instilled values and good judgement for my son and that he can learn from my example and others who display kindness and the spirit of community service as Dr. King has always preached.
I have hopes for my children they will live long and have productive lives. I am scared for their futures, considering the destructive path our country is taking. I pray there is a change coming..for all our sakes.
So powerful! Just reading this bought tears to my eyes. There are so many things that I want for my children’s lives. One thing that stood out the most is for them to know that they are loved. When you know you’re loved, you’re more willing to take risks and the possibilities are endless! I wanna make a list now, too! Thanks for such a great idea. 🙂
What a beautiful list!
Thank you, Cecilia!
Very inspiring writing.
Thank you so much for your kind words!