Letters to our Children: Sydney

Dearest Sydney,

You are now in your second month of Kindergarten and you have far exceeded my expectations of how well you would do in school. I knew you would love it. I knew you would work hard, listen, pay attention, and do your best. Mrs. Rich has said that you are a "great Kindergartener"! I knew you would be! What has amazed me even more is how much you have grown right before our very eyes over the last couple of months. You are wise beyond your years my love. Some of the things you say blow me away and even more so, some of the things you do, has made me even MORE proud to be your mom. You have stood up for friends and peers who were being teased, you have stood up to friends who were doing the teasing, more importantly, you have stood up for yourself against peers who were teasing you. Just last night you told me a story about a little person who was teasing you for things you couldn't do, that he could. You confidently and casually said to me "but I know that there are things that I can do, that he can too." During the first weeks of school, someone teased you for not being able to climb as high as he could, once again, you confidently and casually stated "well I showed him and climbed even higher!" My heart could have burst with pride. You are naturally a very sensitive little person--much like me--you empathize with people who are hurting, sad, happy, or excited. You are so helpful and you want to make everything better for everyone. You love so much and are so generous and thoughtful and caring. Hang on to these qualities sweet girl. You are already becoming an amazing person. However, I know that by being a sensitive person, it leaves the door open to people criticizing things you can or can't do and this often leads to teasing. Before we sent you to Kindergarten, I hoped and I prayed that you would have the confidence in your amazing little self to stand up to these critics that were your peers, but to also love them and guide them to love others. You were so proud of yourself after you "showed" that boy that you could climb higher, the next day he apologized to you and you told me "maybe I taught him how to be nice to other people who can't do some things." Again...a moment of a heart-bursting-with-pride for me.

These are just a few of the moments from these first couple of months that I look at you and think to myself "when did our first baby girl grow up so much?" I am sad the time has flown by (and is flying by) as quickly as it has, but I absolutely love and cherish these moments that give us a sneak peek in to the person you are going to become. And what a beautiful one you are...inside and out, in every way. You work hard, you are inquisitive, clever, and creative. I love watching your mind work as you take random, ordinary things around the house and turn them into exactly what you had dreamed up in your mind. You are capable of doing so many amazing things in your life, Sydney, and you will touch many lives along the way. I am honored to be a part of your journey and I cannot wait to see what is in store for you. I love you more than you will ever know!

Love,
Mom