Dear Jessie,
Today you turn 21!
I hope we make your day special enough. Although, these days, when you come home each Sunday – you act like it is an extra special day … just because. So a Sunday home with cake and presents, AND the Randall’s stopping by … well – I hope we do OK.
It was hard buying you presents this year. Long gone are the days I stood in Toys-R-Us and cried, overwhelmed because you had everything that was ever made for a 3 or 4 year old – your mental age. No progression to Barbie’s, to jewelry, to makeup, to boys. No, but Mommy doesn’t cry about it anymore – she is more … well, not ‘jaded’ – I guess ‘prepared’ is the word.
As I bought you the Tinkerbell Movie and a slew of Disney Princess items, I thought with a little bit of sadness and a little bit of pride – that maybe …. just maybe … this was the last year for Princesses and Fairy Tales. You are acting so much more like an adult now - out of High School and working and doing all those ‘grown up’ things you are learning to do. But at home – you can still be my ‘little girl’ if you want. Maybe the presents stay here – where you can play and be my Jess – our little secret from RSS. OK?
You have grown so much in the past 11 months that you have been at RSS. You do things that you refused to do for me. You have mastered tasks I never thought you would master. You have lost weight, formed relationships, and are acting more grown up in general. You are becoming more of a friend to me and less of a child. And I think that is a very good thing! All of it is a very good thing. Observing your metamorphosis has been a wonderful treat for me.
You are evolving into a ‘grown up’ … but at the same time staying my ‘forever child’. You haven’t lost your sense of childlike awe, unabashed enthusiasm for life and joy in the simplest of things – things that seem to fade as we grow up (I wonder why that is?). And that does not bother me one bit!
So, tonight, dream of Fairy Princesses, Tinkerbell, Never Never Land and anything else your heart desires – you deserve it. Then tomorrow? Tomorrow you will get up and do all your grown up things. All the new things you are learning to do to help you transition into adulthood.
But, a little secret? I hope you never grow out of the wonder of Fairy Tales. I hope your love of Princesses never diminishes. I hope you will always thrill at the sight of a baby or a puppy. These are the things that make you my Jessie, and Mom would miss that part of you.
One year older sweetie, but oh so much more than one year wiser, my friend.
Mommy loves you.
Today you turn 21!
I hope we make your day special enough. Although, these days, when you come home each Sunday – you act like it is an extra special day … just because. So a Sunday home with cake and presents, AND the Randall’s stopping by … well – I hope we do OK.
It was hard buying you presents this year. Long gone are the days I stood in Toys-R-Us and cried, overwhelmed because you had everything that was ever made for a 3 or 4 year old – your mental age. No progression to Barbie’s, to jewelry, to makeup, to boys. No, but Mommy doesn’t cry about it anymore – she is more … well, not ‘jaded’ – I guess ‘prepared’ is the word.
As I bought you the Tinkerbell Movie and a slew of Disney Princess items, I thought with a little bit of sadness and a little bit of pride – that maybe …. just maybe … this was the last year for Princesses and Fairy Tales. You are acting so much more like an adult now - out of High School and working and doing all those ‘grown up’ things you are learning to do. But at home – you can still be my ‘little girl’ if you want. Maybe the presents stay here – where you can play and be my Jess – our little secret from RSS. OK?
You have grown so much in the past 11 months that you have been at RSS. You do things that you refused to do for me. You have mastered tasks I never thought you would master. You have lost weight, formed relationships, and are acting more grown up in general. You are becoming more of a friend to me and less of a child. And I think that is a very good thing! All of it is a very good thing. Observing your metamorphosis has been a wonderful treat for me.
You are evolving into a ‘grown up’ … but at the same time staying my ‘forever child’. You haven’t lost your sense of childlike awe, unabashed enthusiasm for life and joy in the simplest of things – things that seem to fade as we grow up (I wonder why that is?). And that does not bother me one bit!
So, tonight, dream of Fairy Princesses, Tinkerbell, Never Never Land and anything else your heart desires – you deserve it. Then tomorrow? Tomorrow you will get up and do all your grown up things. All the new things you are learning to do to help you transition into adulthood.
But, a little secret? I hope you never grow out of the wonder of Fairy Tales. I hope your love of Princesses never diminishes. I hope you will always thrill at the sight of a baby or a puppy. These are the things that make you my Jessie, and Mom would miss that part of you.
One year older sweetie, but oh so much more than one year wiser, my friend.
Mommy loves you.
4 comments:
Your forever child. I love how it means many things to you. Happy Birthday, Jessie!
Thank you for sharing another beautiful letter!
Happy Birthday, Jessie! May your day be filled with family, friends, princesses, and fun!
Happy Birthday Beautiful Princess! I love that you love babies and puppies--I do too!
How great to see such progress in a year! I wonder if the rest of us can match that pace?
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