Parenting Guru: 5 things I wish for my son

We all want the same things for our children: love, laughter, health, a healthy earth and happiness. We want them to have opportunities, to appreciate and spend time with family, to be good people, and for their talents to grow and shine. We want them to have success, to work hard and stay humble, to succeed professionally but be loved for who they are and not what they do. We want them to be independent and strong but also loyal and kind, to love fiercely and live compassionately. Of course, I want all these things for my son, but I have a few more hopes for him on my wish list.

1. A beautiful, gut-wrenching and romantic love. There is nothing like true love. It tugs at you in a way that you never knew existed. You begin to breathe for new reasons, you hope for impossible things, and you begin to weave your life in a new, unexpected direction. I want my son to know what it's like to live for somebody's smile, to jump with anticipation when the phone rings, to feel electric whispers on his skin, to have that falling-in-an-elevator feeling in the bottom of his belly. When he's older and falls in love, I hope it's a strong, gravity-defying affair that twists him around and changes him forever.

2. An appreciation for his body and a hope that his body is strong and well. Having a body that can run and jump and play is a true gift and one of the most important things in life.

3. A chance to play at Disney World. A lot. I've only been a couple times in my life, and the last time I went, I was almost 30. But it was awesome. The rush of the rides, the surprises around every corner and the permission to be silly and run across Main Street is exhilarating and decadent. I hope he gets to go with us when he's little, with his spouse when he's older and with his own children years after that. Each time, I hope he still gets excited while waiting in line for Space Mountain.

4. A four-year degree at a well respected, residential institution. College is where the brother and sister friends are made, the friends who live with you and who see you at every moment, strong and weak, through sorrows and celebrations. College is discovery, from each academic class to each Sunday morning brunch at the dining hall. Living away makes all this self-exploration possible. I hope he can look back on his four years at school as a time where he grew and re-charged, became a dreamer and an ambitious goal-seeker and a time where he made strong personal bonds that only rival the love he has for his family.

5. The chance to have his own children. When he does, he'll know the reason for everything else.

Sarahlynne is proud to be a Parenting Guru at Shine. When she's not working as a freelance writer or taking care of her son, she's writing her novel for young adults, entitled, "Touch."