Today is Her 14th Birthhday (A mother's letter to her daughter)

I can remember when she was born.

It seemed like it was yesterday.

I was twenty-four and it was my first day of maternity leave. It was a hot sunny afternoon and she wasn't technically due for two more weeks (although I had a feeling for a week and there were signs that she was ready. Lord knows I was.)

I did some house cleaning. I did some more house cleaning. And then, a little more  cleaning and organzing.

I called my mother-in-law and cried to her about how I was not yet done with this pregnancy and that this baby hhhhaaaddd to come out TODAY!

She said to do a little more cleaning and then wait...

So, at about the point of 'wait', I sat down ... and my water broke!

Tadaaaahhh!!!!

Twelve hours later via a c-section my daughter was born.

That was 14 years ago today and this is my letter to her:

Dear Daughter, 

Over the last fourteen years we've learned to talk and walk together. I have witnessed you lose all of your baby teeth and together we have learned about the things that are important in life.


Today, and everyday, you are growing to be everything I had imagined you would.


Your favorite color is green, favorite hobby is reading, and you have a smile and air about you that would make anyone want to have a conversation with you. 

You are intuitive, strong, responsible and loving...Witty and reasonable...The best big sister and the most amazing student your teachers could ever ask for. Compassionate, fair and conscientious, you  are always aware of how our existence impacts others and the environment...

How did I get so lucky?


How did the world get so lucky?


Happy 14th Birthday to my beautiful daughter.



I hope that you will enjoy the life that you have been given, always follow your dreams, and love yourself for the amazing woman that you are.


Happy Birthday...I love you.


Love,
Mom

Popular posts from this blog

Back to School Anxiety: Bullying

Image
Download “School Boy Being Stressed” by David Castillo Dominici via freedigitalphotos.net I recently wrote about how to help your child if they’re struggling with going back to school because they were bullied. My biggest most important tip was to listen, because I honestly could not write a ‘How-to-make-them-not-afraid’ column. Frankly I thought that was absurd. Fear is sometimes real. Anxiety is sometimes truly there, and for a good reason. Our job as parents isn’t to try to make it go away, it’s to try to find out the true source of those worrisome feelings. If you’d like to read more, click here. And if you’re child is struggling to find excitement about the new school year, don’t deny it, just accept it and move forward gently. Here’s some more on bullying: Family Matters Links: A Touching Story/Song Bullying: A thing of the past A Peace Poem By My Teenage Daughter A Deeper Insight into My Thoughts on People Who Bring Harm to Others Other Links: Stop Bul
Read more

Would You Rather?

Image
My kids like to play a game called ‘Would You Rather?’. I’ve always liked getting in on the fun because they usually freak out when it’s my turn to ask, ‘Would you rather?’. I will ask, ‘Would you rather…have to go to school for 365 days a year, or go without television forever?’  Or when I say, ‘Would you rather eat broccoli at every meal, or spinach?’. It’s fun to watch them squirm. Now here is one for parent’s. School shopping is finally coming to a halt (thank goodness) and there are a few items on the market that I want you to see (if you haven’t already gasped at them yourself). They are: JCPenney’s (recently controversial) Shirt for Girls: JCPenney And the 'Eye Candy' (yes, it says Eye Candy on it-actually ALL over it) notebook that I hear no one talking about and which is selling at Walmart: So, hear it goes…. Mom, Dad, Grandma, Antie….etc….. 'Would you rather ' have your teen (or younger) daughter wear the ‘too pretty for math’ shirt?        O
Read more

Good Customer Service At Home

Image
Over the years, my careers have mainly been customer service based. I started in a family business and then moved on up through the rungs from waitress, to hostess, to sales associate, manager and eventually the GM of a hotel. In all my years, my training taught me that you should always do your best to take your customer all the way to what they need, make them happy, and never leave them until they are done with you. I pride myself on my customer service abilities. Though the other day, I think I failed at customer service in my own home! I was getting ready to cut my daughter's hair and because of how long it had gotten (she's been growing it out for a year!) I felt this time it would be best  if instead of me spritzing it with water, she could wash and condition it real quick. She was fully clothed so I just suggested she run into the bathroom and wash her hair in the tub. She’s fourteen. I suppose I just assumed that she knew how to kneel over the tub and do it.
Read more