Valentines Day Letter to my Daughter

I'm not a huge fan of Valentines Day, like I previously said in this earlier post that I used to share my thoughts on the day. Not because I'm cupids nemesis or anti-love, but because I'm quite the opposite and think that love should be celebrated year round. I believe that you should be romantic and show your love all of the time, rather than just on a pre-determined day thats marked on a calendar to remind you. That being said however, I was re-reading this old letter that I penned and decided that I would use today as a day to write my daughter a letter on her first Valentines.

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My dearest, sweetest baby girl,

Today is your first Valentines Day and I wanted to be the first person to introduce you to the sentiment of the day. The modern Valentines Day is considered to be a day of romance and a time to express or declare our love. It is a day that you will have mixed feelings about as you go through life and a day you will no doubt at times feel loved, and at others feel heartbroken. I am your Daddy and want to make it clear that I am the first man to have loved you. I love you deeply, unconditionally and without reservation. I will always love you. No matter what happens as you venture on your journey through life, I will be here... not just on Valentines, but every day. The day that you feel you cannot depend or rely on me will be the day that I have failed in all I am aspiring to be and I can assure you that I won't every let that day come.

The day that you were born, changed the very make up of my heart entirely. You showed me a new way to love. You captured my heart and held it so tightly that your imprint will forever be engrained. I watched you take your first breath. I watched your eyes blink, squint and scan this world in your first living moments. I whispered "I love you" and was thankful for having been blessed with the opportunity to be the first to tell you so. The love that sprung into life that day has blossomed and grown every day since and I can only imagine that it will never stop growing for as long as I am breathing.

You're growing all of the time, but at 7 months old you are still a small bundle of everything that is beautiful in life. Your innocence shines bright, your smile lighting up my days and your eyes filled with a mesmerising love that I hope never goes away. You're still a long way from the harshness of the playground, from caring about what others think and the challenges of life. You're still a long way from thinking about romantic relationships. But that time will come, and I have until then to prepare both of us for it. Until that day comes I intend on telling and showing you how loved you are. I plan to teach you how to be loved and treated by setting an example and loving your Mother with all that I have. You are precious. You are valuable. You deserve the best that this world has to offer in every aspect of life and you should never settle for anything less than the best. You deserve to be respected, to love and to be loved.

Today is Valentines Day and I am your first Valentine. You didn't get a say in it, but I hope that you wouldn't have protested even if you had. Every year for the rest of my life, I will be your Valentine and I will love you with all of my being every day in between. I will always be here for you. Where others may fail you, enter and leave your life... Daddy will be right here. I'm not going anywhere. Not ever.

I love you baby girl.

Dad

xxx