An open letter to the future mother of a boy

My dearest friend,

Someday, your little man is going to call you his best friend.

He is going to show you everything about his world.

What he found outside, the scribbles on his scrap paper, the dog across the street that barked at him once and scared him.

He's going to end up sleeping in your bed every night.

You're going to complain a LOT about that. But secretly, you're going to hope it never ends.

And you'll be heartbroken when it does.

He's going to embarrass the fuck out of  you when he poops on the front lawn.

He's going to make you prouder than you've ever been when you watch him ride his bike for the first time.

He's going to scream at you, tell you he hates you, and attempt to run away but only make it a block.

Only to tell you he loves you, that very same evening.

He's going to bring you shit from outside. And you're going to LOVE it, even if it's just a clod of dirt. You're going to tell your husband you're throwing it out, but you'll end up with a secret stash.

He's going to insist on a bandaid long after his wound is healed. You're going to keep putting one on there.

He's going to get really sick. You'll end up taking him to the doctor. You'll lose sleep at night, because your instincts won't allow you to sleep while your child is sick. Every tiny noise from his room will wake you up and you'll be going in there all night just to make sure he's breathing.

While he's an infant, you're going to be terrified of SIDS and all the other monsters waiting to take your child from you. Stay strong. It sucks. But you get through it.

While he's a toddler, you will have to learn when to protect him, and when to stand back and let him learn his own lessons. You will misjudge this from time to time. It's ok.

You're going to say and do silly shit you never thought you would do, and surprisingly, you're going to laugh your ass off while you're doing it because he is laughing his ass off too.

At some point, you'll probably endure him getting seriously injured, or have to be put under for some reason. It's the world's worst feeling, seeing your baby laying there unconscious while the doctor works on him. I'm not telling you it's going to be ok, because it won't. You're going to cry and not let go of him for hours and hours. That feeling will pass, but not entirely. You'll remember it forever.

Every now and then, a news story or article about something horrible happening to someone else's baby will strike you the wrong way, and you're going to sob uncontrollably and want to never let go of him. It's ok, it happens to everyone.

You're going to love him like you have never loved anything in your life. Your love is going to be fierce, it's going to come out of nowhere, and it's going to make you a great mom.

I love you. Congrats, mama.