To my future mother-in-law,

First of all, I want to thank you. You may not realize it, but you have raised the man of my dreams. I may not know you yet, but I already love you because you have done one of the most rewarding things in life by being a mother. I just want to let you know how much I appreciate all that you've done in raising your son to be who he is today and the man I will one day marry.

For your son's whole life, you have taught him the difference between right and wrong. You have instilled a drive in him that makes him never want to stop working. But most importantly, you have taught him how to love. And that lesson is more important than anything else because you have taught your son how to care for other human beings and to support the people he cares about in more ways than one.

Ever since I was a little girl, my father has taught me the correct way for a man to treat a woman, so if I am marrying your son, it must mean that he has some amazing qualities, like a wonderful sense of humor to make me laugh, compassion for when I cry, the emotional sensitivity that allows him to cry when necessary, and the ability to reason with others and not always need to be correct. I thank you for teaching him how to be a gentleman and not be domineering toward other people. Thank you for allowing him to make mistakes and learn from them so that he may be a bigger and stronger person. More important, thank you for never losing hope in his ability to rise to the top, even when he was younger and probably destroying your house.

For all of that, I owe you my life because you have raised someone I want to spend forever with. Thank you for raising a strong, independent man who will one day be the father to your grandchildren and the reason I smile everyday.

Sincerely,

Your future daughter-in-law