On Your Third Birthday – A Letter To A Future You

Love at First Sight - Daddy Daughter PhotoI decided to write this letter to you on both this blog and down on paper, too. I know, of course, you can’t read it just yet, but it’s not meant for the current you anyway; it’s for a future you.

I plan to be here on your birthdays for many decades to come. I expect to embarrass you when you’re a teen (not on purpose… well, not much), and if you chose, I’ll give you away at your wedding.

So why am I putting this into writing and making a paper copy to be put away for that future you? There’s something nice about letters, a permanency that is getting lost in today’s electronic world.

The 3 year old you are today would laugh and say, “Daddy you being so silly!” Maybe; and I pray you live in blissful ignorance of the true impermanence of things for a very long time to come.

I’m writing and putting this away to be given to you on a day when your daddy is no longer there to tell you this in person. What follows is short and sweet; not words of wisdom, but words of love.

For you see, I never knew how much a person could love another until I met you, Pumpkin. I heard people say things like that before you were born, but I didn’t know if it was true. It is true.

No child has ever been more wanted or loved than you. No child has ever generated as much joy, pride and happiness as you do daily. You have always made me so very happy, Sweetheart.

You fill my life with meaning and purpose. You have changed me completely. I was a good man before you were born, but now I’m so much more than that. I’m your daddy.

And if you are reading this (hopefully at some very distant point in the future) when I am no longer there to hold you and tell you in person… I’m putting this on paper: I LOVE YOU.

I have always loved you, and I will always love you. Inside of you a piece of me lives on. Touch your chest above your heart and in its beat you will hear, “I love you, I love you, I love you…”

I am so sorry something has caused me to leave you, but know that I never wanted to go. I mentioned earlier that things are impermanent, but there is one thing that’s not. And that is love.

Today, always and forever, Sweetheart, your daddy loves you.

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  1. so sweet.
    I think there would be more confident, self-assured, strong women in the world if ALL daddies took the time to do this!

    1. Thank you. I didn’t mean for it to sound sad or anything, but I’d never want her to not know how much I love her. And of course the key is to show her every day through my actions. I’m far from perfect, but I do my best.

  2. Michael…

    Every child deserves to hear such words from her father. Your letter will be very meaningful to her one day, even in ways that she may not even understand, as she’ll never know what it would have been like to grow up without a daddy who adores her.

    Nicely done……now be sure to print that hard copy & tuck it into her memory box! 🙂

    1. Thanks, Ann. I’m actually hand writing the letter… seems more personal to have the paper I touched and wrote on. Again, I don’t mean to sound morbid. Hopefully it will be a super long time before she ever sees it. I’m very healthy and working on getting even healthier.

    • Marica - Aprovadimamma on at
    • Reply

    lovely, well done

    1. Thank you so much, Marica.

  3. Beautifully written….what a wonderful thing to do for her!

    (and now I have to try to pretend that I just have something in my eyes as I sit at my desk reading this)

    1. I definitely teared up when I wrote it, even though I didn’t mean it to be sad. Thanks, Laura.

  4. What a beautiful letter to the wee one. She is so blessed to have such a wonderful daddy who not only thinks about her in the now, but also in the future! She will surely treasure this letter when the time comes for her to read it. Happy Birthday to one very special little girl! ~Hugs Mitzi & Diron

    1. Thanks so much, Mitzi. While the letter hopefully will mean something to her, more importantly I need to work every day to create wonderful memories she’ll carry with her always.

      1. I’m certain you don’t have to work very hard to create those wonderful memories for her. From what I see, you and that lovely wife of yours do a fantastic job of memory making.

        1. Thanks, Mitzi. My wife is especially good at it. Me, I’m more of a work in process as a Dad.

  5. This is so wonderful!

    1. Thanks, D. She’s a wonderful little girl!

  6. Okay, and now I’m crying in public! Remind me not to read your blog while I’m at a coffee shop!

    1. Sorry, Amanda. If it’s any consolation I was crying when I wrote it.

  7. What a sweet message to her. She will refer to it often someday I am sure.

    1. Thank you. I really did put it on paper, sealed it in an envelop and gave it to my wife to keep for her.

  8. hi 🙂 I am stopping by from the Monday Mingle. What a lovely and touching letter.

    1. Thank you, Helena. I’m so happy you stopped by. So help me out… a cafecito is a café cubano? If anyone is wondering why I’m asking go read her blog.

  9. That was a wonderful message to your daughter. I totally understand your statements about a father’s love for his daughter. I did the same thing when my daughter was almost two. I wrote her a letter in my journal. I had long forgotten about it until I came across it the other day. My daughter is now 28 years old. I gave a copy of it to her just last week. She loved it.

    1. How cool, Gary! I gave my wife a sealed copy of the letter (basically the same as above, but with a bit more personalization) to keep for my daughter. I so happy to here your daughter love hers.

  10. I think I can feel a tear trickle down my cheek right now. That is simply so sweet! If I were your daughter, I’d love you to bits. It’s dads like you who bring up well-adjusted and happy kids.

    1. Thank you, Pepper, but I’m far from a perfect dad. Much of the reason I write this blog as a whole is to remind MYSELF of the things I need to do and focus on to be a better dad. That said, I really appreciate your kind words.

    • Kelley Simpson on at
    • Reply

    I love this. I’m a fan of telling those things that sleep in our hearts. I wish I had a letter like this from my father, priceless. You’re a good soul.

    1. I’m a fan of telling those things that sleep in our hearts.

      Beautifully put, Kelley. As I may have mentioned to you in the past, I lost my father as well. And yes, it would have been nice to have something tangible like this. I hope it’s some small comfort one day for my daughter.

  11. This is beautiful and I can truly feel your love for your child. When you are gone and she is reading this it will mean more to her than you realize. I lost my Mom last year, something like this would make my grieving process a bit easier.

    1. I’m so sorry to hear of the loss of your Mom, Pam. I don’t know if this will make my daughter feel better when she loses me some day, but at least I hope it will secure her knowledge of how very wanted and loved she was.

  12. That is sweet. I have written a few letters to my kids too. 🙂 Hope they enjoy them! 🙂

    New follower! Nice to find a daddy blogger. 🙂

    Found you through Mingle Monday, come visit me when you have the chance. 🙂

  13. Beautiful! Made me cry. Maybe I’ll try to encourage my husband to write something like that… and maybe I’ll do the same. Nice to see something like that, no matter when!

    1. Thank you, Tracy. Sorry I made you cry. I plan to be around for a good long time, but things happen and I’d never want her to doubt for a second how very loved she is by her daddy (and mommy).

  14. That is really sweet. To think that it came from a father, really so sweet.

  15. Your baby is so cute..Both of you are great parents thank you for sharing some photo..

  16. Your article touched my heart. It made my cry. Absolutely this post will make a lot of cry of your daughter while she will read the article and you will be no more, But this article will make your daughter more strong with the great respect for you.

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