August 26, 2012
Dear Ethan,
Tomorrow is your first day of Kindergarten. Somehow, the significance of this fact didn’t
truly hit until today. You see, today I
drove past your school and choked up.
Today, I chopped vegetables and began crying as I listened to you in the
next room, playing so sweetly with your little sister. When you came in and asked if you could help,
I had to compose myself quickly. Today,
and all weekend in fact, I could not get enough kisses from you, my sweet baby
boy, all grown up and starting elementary school.
Ethan, I have so enjoyed watching you grow into just about
the cutest little boy. You have your
moments, but, really, you’re pretty awesome, and I find great pleasure in being
with you every day. And I know you feel
the same. My little homebody, you are
always perfectly content hanging out with mom.
You’re such a good helper always, and I love that you still want to
assist me in the kitchen or in cleaning the house. I know, all too soon, this will no longer be
the case.
At five years old, I see you as an incredibly creative and
articulate boy. You can still be on the
shy side, but you’re definitely coming out of that protective shell. Your mind is a crazy sponge, and you soak up
everything, repeating lines from movies you saw months ago or constantly quoting
your books to me. One of my favorite
things is to observe you playing when you think no one’s watching. Usually near your Bat Cave, you make up
elaborate stories with your figures that go on forever and ever. Perhaps even more fun is watching you and
Eleanor play together. More and more,
you are playing with her, not just
near her, and you are always helpful and encouraging. You love to teach her new things, and she
eats it up and absolutely relishes the attention you give her. My heart nearly bursts with pride when I
witness you loving your little sister so tenderly, like when you snuggle with
her and sing “Baby Mine” before her nap.
You love her so much.
Though your new status of Kindergartner is making me feel
nostalgic, I am also quite excited for you as you begin this new chapter. I am not really worried about your academic
success (let’s face it – you’re bright!), but I do wonder about the kind of
student you will be in school and the new knowledge you will come home
with. I can hardly wait to witness you
reading on your own since I know this will open up even more opportunity for
you to explore other worlds. You will,
no doubt, be a voracious reader.
I also wonder about how your personality will continue to
develop as you start school full time.
My hope for you, and what we really try to stress to you right now, is
that you will be kind to everyone. As
you get older, there will be even more opportunity to exclude others or put
others down, but we really hope to instill in you a strong sense of self that
will resist these urges. In your world
of good guys and bad guys, we want you to be a good guy, the kind you can
always rely on to do the right thing.
But know that when you slip up, we will still be there for you, even if
we are a bit disappointed.
You may be growing up, Ethan, but I will always remember my
sweet baby boy we brought home from the hospital five short years ago. I can still feel you in my arms as I rocked
you to sleep or see you smiling at me when you woke up in the morning, always
happy to see me. You, and later your
sister, have been a source of such joy.
You both have filled a hole in my heart I didn’t even know was there
until you arrived. I love you so very
much! I know you will be simply amazing.
Love,
Mommy
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