To My Daughter on her 6th Birthday

To My Sweet Daughter on your 6^th birthday,

What a year this one has been!  You lost your first teeth, triumphed over kindergarten and became a social butterfly of your school.  This mama gets slightly exhausted keeping up with you, but I wouldn’t have it any other way.

We celebrated birthday #6 with Nana, Aunt Debbie, Ellen, Daddy and I.  You got calls from your aunts and uncles and Grammie and Papa and G.G.  By the end of the day, when the phone would ring, you’d say “I bet that’s for me!”  And you were right.

The hit present was the Hatchimal playset, followed by the tie-dye kit.  You had so much fun when you and Jordan made tie-dye shirts that you’ve been coveting your own.  I see lots of pink and purple stained hands in my future.  The Hatchimal playset was the first present opened.  Fitting since we ate a white and purple Hatchimal cake that you designed yourself.

I am in awe of your natural charisma and friendliness.  You marched onto the bus the first day of school like you owned it.  You make friends easily, and seem to be the kind of kid that gets along with everyone.  Anytime we are in the school or in town, there are always kids saying hi or coming up and giving you hugs.  Some of the seniors even know your name.

One of the biggest compliments I received on your behalf this year was from your art teacher and the librarian.  Mr. McGuire told me it is students like you that make it continue to be fun to be a teacher.  And Mrs. Q told me you were kind and sweet and had such a loving heart.  It is comments like these that fill my heart with joy.  It is easy to learn new skills like reading or math.  It is something else entirely to be as loving and kind and guileless as you.

Speaking of school, you are turning in to such a little reader.  After all your hard work with Mrs. Williams, I had to invest in some tougher books to challenge you this summer.  The Bob Books are a thing of the past.  Now you are reading Fancy Nancy and Pinkalicious books by yourself and are starting to enjoy chapter books with me.  You read me books in the car when we are driving.  You pretty much read everything you see…signs, menus, the cereal box, billboards.  I love the new connections you are making between what you are reading and your everyday world.

You are also working at becoming quite the comedian.  Your jokes are really quite terrible, but your delivery is so earnest, we can’t help but laugh.  One of my presents to you today was a kids’ joke book.  I hope it helps with your content.  Your current favorite knee slapper is “What did the janitor say when he jumped out of the closet?  Supplies!”  You have Morgan to thank for that one.

You are becoming so independent.  Part of me longs to keep you little and close to me, but I know this is how it is meant to be.  You wanted to ride the bus on the first day of school instead of have me drive you.  Today you did an art class at EWC and even though you didn’t know anyone, you eagerly waved me out the door so you could get to work.  You like to do things for yourself and have no qualms about leaving me in the dust most times.  You have a confidence and courage about you that I admire.  I hope that sticks with you in life.

You are not perfect and at times you push my buttons horribly.  But there is nothing the two of us can’t fix with a hug and a cuddle when we’ve had time to calm down.

You are also learning new life skills every day, like making calls on the phone or cutting up fruit for our suppers.  I have horrible daydreams about you slicing off your finger, but one of your favorite chores is to use the paring knife to cut up strawberries or other fruit for our meals.  You set some big-kid goals for yourself this summer.  You want to be able to go off the diving board without a life jacket, tie your own shoes and ride a bike without training wheels.

You are also beginning to understand that not everyone is as kind as you.  It hurts my heart when you tell me the kids at school were laughing at you for messing up in reading or making fun of how you say words.  We talk about how we can’t control others’ actions, only our own reactions.  We also talk about calling people on their hurtful actions and letting them know you won’t tolerate it.  I pray each night that I’m giving you the right kind of skills to navigate what can be a cruel and spiteful world.  You, my dear are a ray of sunshine.  We need more souls like you around here.

If I had to pick a career for you, it would probably be something working with animals.  You love sitting in the brooder houses with the new chicks and letting them climb on you.  You also like to help herd the birds into the barn at night.  Part of that allure is rides in Daddy’s Gator ,so maybe you’ll be a racecar driver.  Who knows?  Whatever you choose to become, I have no doubt you will tackle it with enthusiasm and kindness and passion.  As you grow and change, those qualities haven’t left you.

For now, it’s time for me to go to bed.  It’s been an exciting and exhausting day for my favorite new six year old and her family.  Daddy and I love you more than anything else in the world.  Always have, always will.

All my love,

Mama

***This is a tradition I started after being inspired by a friend who also writes an annual letter to her kiddos.  I plan to share all of these with her when she turns 18 so that she can see herself through my eyes at each age.