Dear Daughter

We celebrated my daughter’s third birthday last weekend and in honor of that milestone, I thought I’d write her a letter.  Perhaps I will take Wilma’s idea and pen it out to give to her at a later date.  Until then, at least I will have the thoughts preserved.

Dear Daughter,

I can’t believe it’s been three years since you entered the world.  You are a tiny girl with a lot of spunk and you’ve always had a connection with your daddy that only daughter’s can have.  Just last week you told me, “Mom when I was a baby and I cried, I was crying because I missed Daddy at work.”

You have grown up a lot this past year.  Somehow in the blink of an eye you transformed from a baby tot to a little girl.  You go potty and get dressed all by yourself.  And I love your sense of style!  I have seen you grow to become more compassionate and sensitive this past year.  You seem to look out for those who are hurting or who need a friend.  Many moms at church have come up to me to tell me their child talks about what a friend you were to them in Sunday School.  This truly warms my heart.  I pray this spirit of compassion will only grow stronger as you grow.  May you have an eye for the friendless and broken hearted and bring them joy.

You are a beautiful blend of tom boy and girl.  You can hold your own in a sword fight or wrestling match with your big brother and his friends, and yet you carefully tuck your baby doll Emma in her crib each afternoon before naptime.   You are uniquely you and don’t seem to go with the crowd.  You remind me a lot of the fiction characters Ramona Quimby and Punky Brewster.  I love your spirit of individuality.

I admire your strong will.   You can really dig your heels in and hold strong to your convictions and desires.  You are teaching me a great deal about patience and Daddy and I are working with you on respect and obedience, but still I admire your strength of character.  You know what you want and how you feel and you aren’t easily persuaded otherwise.  It is my prayer that as you grow you will hold strong to the truths found in the Scripture and that you will stand up for the truth.  The world is a dark place, especially for a tiny girl.  May you not be swayed by the lies the world tries to feed us.

You are a tough cookie.  You’d struggled with asthma since you were 6 mths old.  You’ve had to deal with nebulizers and medicines and you take it like a champ and with a smile on your face.  You got glasses when you turned 2 and you wore them so readily, never complaining or fighting them.  You’ve always been small in height and weight, but tough and strong.  When you would get your shots at the doctor as a baby, you would sit there and not cry.  I am continually impressed with your tolerance for pain.

You adore your big brother.  Each night you lay in bed and talk to him in your room.  I can hear you guys giggling and singing and it warms my heart.  On nights when he falls asleep first you cry because “he’s not talking to me.”  You want to be just like him and are so eager to go to school and play soccer just like him.  You also love your little sister.  When you hear her crying you rush into the room and give her a hug (sometimes knocking her over with your enthusiasm) and tell me, “I saved the day Mom!”  You love to hold her hand as we walk in the parking lot and you grin for ear to ear with pride at the responsibility of helping your little sister.   I pray often that the three of you will have a close bond of friendship that will only grow throughout your life.

I love snuggling with you when you wake up in the morning of after a nap.  You are so cuddly then.  I also enjoy your help in the kitchen.  You are quite the little helper.  I pray that as you grow our bond will grow as well and that you will know I am always here for you, you can talk to me about anything, and nothing, nothing will change my love for you.

I thank God for the blessing and privilege it is to be your Mommy.

Happy Birthday sweet girl!