Happy Birthday! Are you really 6? It can’t be! It seems like just the other day I brought you home from the hospital. I was so enamored with you that I told Daddy I wanted 10 more just like you! You are really growing up to be an amazing person. You make me proud every single day.
Right now you are taking Tae Kwon Do and learning everything from how to skip to defending yourself from a stranger attack. You already have your red belt and you are well on your way to getting your next belt. When I watch you in karate class, I can really see the confident hard-working, respectful person you are. I love the words you recite at the beginning of each class, "I promise to be a good person, with knowledge in my mind, honesty in my heart, to make good friends, and to be a black belt leader." I hope you choose to get your black belt, not so you can use it for fighting (I hope you never have to use it), but for the confidence, discipline, and sense of accomplishment. You can do it.
I am so proud of the responsible young man you are becoming. You have a wallet that you are very good about keeping track of and you always remember to close the baby gate so Annabelle doesn’t get hurt.
Speaking of Annabelle, you really are so sweet to her and a great big brother. Just the other day, you fed her almost all of your ice cream and today you gave her your apple juice. You play with her and teach her words and let her squeeze your face. And you get so excited if she repeats a word or sound after you. When you are trying to get her attention, you say An-na-beh-w in a low playful voice. She adores you and Annabelle is so lucky to have you for a brother!
You and Kyle chose to share a room when we moved into our new house this summer. You two have been staying up a little too late talking and playing the past few weeks, but I am glad you have that time to be together as brothers. You are learning how to have respect for each other, and how to work together to solve conflict. I expected a difficult transition, but you guys are doing much better than I thought. You should be proud of how quickly you are learning to handle this new situation.
This fall you will be starting Kindergarten. I will probably be a mess and you will probably be calm and collected and a little excited. You are so ready. I know you will do great in Kindergarten and learn so much because you love school and being with people. You have the maturity to handle tough situations and let minor irritations roll off your back which is so important in life. There was a guy named Robert Fulghum who wrote a book called Every Thing I need to know I learned in Kindergarten. This just goes to show how important this time of your life is. Here is his (abbreviated) list.
Share everything.
Play fair.
Don't hit people.
Put things back where you found them.
Clean up your own mess.
Don't take things that aren't yours.
Say you're sorry when you hurt somebody.
Wash your hands before you eat.
Flush.
Live a balanced life - learn some and think some and draw and paint and sing and dance and play and work every day some.
Take a nap every afternoon.
When you go out into the world, watch out for traffic, hold hands, and stick together.
You already know many of these, and you will learn the others in the upcoming year. What an exciting time in your life! My advice to you as you embark on your school years, is to listen to your conscience and do the right thing even when it’s not easy. You will never go wrong by doing right. If you don’t know what the right thing to do is, ask God. Nobody is perfect and we all make mistakes. When you do, learn from the experience and move on with confidence that next time you will do better. There was an architect named I.M. Pei who designed a skyscraper with huge plate glass windows. One day, the windows all began falling out onto the sidewalk below. He had made a very big mistake. He carefully studied the properties of glass, figured out where he went wrong, corrected it, and thereafter called himself an expert of plate glass window design. Making mistakes is part of life, and I want you to know that even when you have made a mistake, I still love you.
At bedtime, we are reading a book called The Mysterious Benedict Society (we read a little bit each night). The main characters in the story are all kids, who for various reasons do not have parents. I was talking with you tonight about what life is like for kids without parents and you felt very sad for them. You have such a big heart and I am so proud that you want to help others with less. We said a prayer for those kids and thanked God for our family.
You are an amazing kid and I can’t believe how I lucky I am to be your mom. I love you more than words can express.
Love,
Mommy
Here’s a list of you favorite things right now:
Legos
Strawberries
Club crackers
Steak
Peanut Butter and Jelly
Ninjas
Star Wars
Money
Tae Kwon Do
Your scooter
More Legos
Here you are first thing in the morning on your birthday. You woke up before me (about 6:30am) and went out on the back patio. This is what you slept in.
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