For who she is.

 If there is one thing I want to achieve as a parent, it is embracing Olivia for who she is,

to really look at her. She is not a blank canvas you can paint. 

She is already her own painting.

Lots of people want their children to be what they want them to be, a better version of themselves, or exactly like themselves, or maybe something they would have liked to be and they put all hope on the kid. I just wanted to write this down to remind myself that my main goal in being a parent is to raise a child with a healthy self-image and self esteem, because these are the most important things to be happy in life. All the rest is less important, whether she is very smart or less, shy or extravert, a real girliegirl or more a jeans-sneakers kinda girl, a hair dresser or an engineer, an adventurer or a staycationer, an employee or an entrepeneur, messy or tidy, a thinker or a do-er. 

 

We will love her unconditionally for who she is, and not judge her on what she is not.

I know she will drive us crazy sometimes (she already does)

I know we will be desperate at times, like every parent because of the choices she makes.

But every choice she makes will make her a little more 'my daughter Olivia'.

And that's good.