A Birthday Letter
Dear Karlen,
Today you enter into the realm of “double digits.” When I was a kid, it was a very big deal to turn 10. Finally being in the double digits meant you were that much closer to being a teenager. I can only assume not much has changed in the past 28 years.
Last night your father commented to me that you are more than halfway towards being out on your own. That felt very strange to me because I still think of you as my baby. I will always think of you as my baby. And because I am terrified of your upcoming teen years, today I prefer to think about the past 10 years.
When you were born, you were a stubborn and opinionated baby. Not much has changed and you are one of the most stubborn, opinionated people I know. You were also a night owl back then, and a night owl now. I remember when you were two weeks old, the only way you were happy at one in the morning was if you were resting your head on my shoulder while we danced to whatever happened to be in the cd player. At the time, you preferred the Cocteau Twins. If I stopped dancing, or sat down, you would start to howl angrily. I believe that is how I lost all my pregnancy weight so quickly. Now there are times when I will find you at one in the morning, still awake, listening to Green Day and reading a huge novel. Sometimes you read Captain Underpants, though.
You’ve had your challenges over the years. Their names are Rowan and Liana. While those challenges are often very frustrating (and annoying), you tend to meet those frustrations with love and respect. It’s only occasionally that you haul off and hit them. The other night all three of you were upstairs and, because the quiet made me nervous, I peeked into your room to see what was going on. You were reading to your brother and sister in bed, and my heart swelled with pride when I saw that.
You’ve also had challenges in school, both with peers and schoolwork. I know the work can be boring for you and often you feel leaps and bounds ahead of your schoolmates. Sometimes you might feel alone and sad, but then you meet up with a few close friends after school and I see how happy you can be. My hope for you is that you continue to cherish the close relationships you have – both with friends and with family.
You are an amazing person and I feel honored to be able to witness your growth from a cute little baby born 10 years ago to the beautiful young girl you are today. And honestly, when your dad said you were more than halfway to being out on your own, it didn’t really bother me because I know you are going to continue to be an amazing person.
Happy birthday, baby!
Love, Mom.
Today you enter into the realm of “double digits.” When I was a kid, it was a very big deal to turn 10. Finally being in the double digits meant you were that much closer to being a teenager. I can only assume not much has changed in the past 28 years.
Last night your father commented to me that you are more than halfway towards being out on your own. That felt very strange to me because I still think of you as my baby. I will always think of you as my baby. And because I am terrified of your upcoming teen years, today I prefer to think about the past 10 years.
When you were born, you were a stubborn and opinionated baby. Not much has changed and you are one of the most stubborn, opinionated people I know. You were also a night owl back then, and a night owl now. I remember when you were two weeks old, the only way you were happy at one in the morning was if you were resting your head on my shoulder while we danced to whatever happened to be in the cd player. At the time, you preferred the Cocteau Twins. If I stopped dancing, or sat down, you would start to howl angrily. I believe that is how I lost all my pregnancy weight so quickly. Now there are times when I will find you at one in the morning, still awake, listening to Green Day and reading a huge novel. Sometimes you read Captain Underpants, though.
You’ve had your challenges over the years. Their names are Rowan and Liana. While those challenges are often very frustrating (and annoying), you tend to meet those frustrations with love and respect. It’s only occasionally that you haul off and hit them. The other night all three of you were upstairs and, because the quiet made me nervous, I peeked into your room to see what was going on. You were reading to your brother and sister in bed, and my heart swelled with pride when I saw that.
You’ve also had challenges in school, both with peers and schoolwork. I know the work can be boring for you and often you feel leaps and bounds ahead of your schoolmates. Sometimes you might feel alone and sad, but then you meet up with a few close friends after school and I see how happy you can be. My hope for you is that you continue to cherish the close relationships you have – both with friends and with family.
You are an amazing person and I feel honored to be able to witness your growth from a cute little baby born 10 years ago to the beautiful young girl you are today. And honestly, when your dad said you were more than halfway to being out on your own, it didn’t really bother me because I know you are going to continue to be an amazing person.
Happy birthday, baby!
Love, Mom.
posted by Monica at
12:03 PM
1 Comments:
my oldest nephew is 10 and it blows my mind. i swear i was just meeting him for the first time as a one month old. i can't imagine how hard/werid/exicting it must be for the mother!
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