Dearest Babybel,
Tomorrow you start kindergarten.
I get it. Like in a rational sense. I mean, you were in childcare and then you were in preschool and this is the next logical step. But, my heart doesn’t get it.
I can’t comprehend how you’ve grown so quickly, developed emotionally and intellectually over the past five years. It’s truly a sign of God’s wonders.
What happened to my baby who needed me at night? What happened to my toddler who threw up hysterical vomit? What happened to my preschooler who pronounced her r’s like w’s? Really? Weally!
I know this is the same old story of disbelief, shock and awe told by parents for years and that’s not why I’m writing to you, but it had to be said.
What I want to tell you today may be a little intense for your first day of kindergarten, but nevertheless important from Room 2 to the hallowed halls of [Wellesley] College.
I’m writing to tell you that you should be ever grateful for you education.
You are about to embark on (by my count) seventeen years of formal education. This is a privilege so profound you can not yet imagine it. You are benefiting from a long fight for women and people of color to be educated in this country. And there are still others who know no such right. There are those who travel miles on foot to go to school. There are those who go to school, but in a system so unjust and with a fate so bleak. Do not take your education for granted. Work hard and be grateful every day for your ability to wake up, take a safe walk to school, learn from educators who care, do your homework at a well lit table and benefit from all that your education will provide you.
I’m writing to tell you that I will be here every step of the way.
I’m no helicopter, but I will be here when you need me--in kindergarten, in college. I will be here to celebrate with you on your good days--when you make a friend, when you ace a test, when you accomplish something you never thought you could. I will be here when you need a push--when you think you can’t do something, when you won’t do it, when you get really stuck on writing the letter G or carrying the 1. I will be here to simply be here--to sit with you in your fear, in your frustration, in your pain. I will be here to listen--to the rundown of your day, to your thoughts on One Direction and Middle Eastern conflict, to your ever-changing plans and to your heart’s desires.
I’m writing to tell you that I am proud of you.
Know that I am proud of you because you dare to be in this world. I am proud of all you can and will do, for sure. But, I’m also proud of what you can’t do yet, of what challenges you will tackle. You are a work in progress. And the ability to grow and change is a wonderful part of being human. You can make choices. You can change your mind. You can soften your heart. I know you will not always do things that please me. You will not always do things my way. You may even wander into places that I cannot prevent you from going. But, you will live your own truth and follow your own path. You will grown into the person God has created you to be. And I am honored to watch you do it.
Love you no matter what,
Mommy
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