Two years you have given me TWO wonderful years with you. I read and I’ve been told that these are the critical years. Your ability to soak in everything around you makes me understand why these are the critical years. Everything you learn now will resonate throughout your growth and development. As your mother, I would like to teach you the importance of communication before you actually need to work at it and also the value of work. But, before you can comprehend such lessons I must first instill in you certain behaviors such as manners, the value of money and how to stand up for yourself.
At the age of two you are already showing signs of compassion and empathy for your peers and those around you. These attributes are why you have earned the nick name “little mama”. You are always checking to see if those around you are okay. If someone cries you rub their back and ask “are you okay?” When your sister is crying after being scolded you cry a heartfelt cry until you are able to ask if she is okay and give her a big hug. I hope that you retain these attributes as they are essential in life. But, guard them. Hold on to them tightly and close to your heart because if you don’t they will turn into jadedness and contention leaving you to always feel incomplete.
Over these 2 years I have observed your curious nature. You question everything to no end. But despite your curiosity there is a sense of cautiousness. It is an accompaniment that most toddlers don’t possess at your age. I hope that you can use both of these to your advantage but don’t let your curiosity get the best of you or your cautiousness impede on your discoveries.
You will come into contact with many people, most of whom you can or should cast aside as useless to you, but there will be a few you will need to hold onto for various reasons. And if you follow your intuition you will know exactly who these people are right away. That intuition comes from the foundation that your father and I are working hard to build right now. We hope to build it strong with a bright guiding light so please do not doubt that part of you, because it is the greatest gift we can give you.
You my sweet little girl are the things that dreams are made of, perfectly assembled, conscious, and full of life. Your smile, your strength, you feistiness….yes you are a feisty one. It’s actually a quality I admire although we have to work on it so that in the future it works for you and not against you. You are beautiful, so amazingly beautiful. But, it’s okay if you don’t see it, someone else will be sure to tell you long before you realize the implications of what it means.
One thing I admire about your father is that he has a growing capacity for greatness, he doesn’t settle for less and has a desire to improve himself and understand me in my entirety—and I can assure you, it’s not always easy. There are days he falls short but he doesn’t let failure keep him down. He gets back up and tries again. And this, I implore you, is what you search for in each individual you want to build some sort of bond with. I hope you select people of meaning, of substance, to hold in your heart, but I hope you learn by playing with everyone.
There is one important piece of wisdom I wish to impart upon you during your youth: Do not do anything that you feel compromises your ethics. It is important to learn to compromise between you and another in order to see things through, but don’t think it is ever necessary to compromise between you and yourself. Doing so will most definitely prove to be shallow and based on nonsense. Anyone who demands that you compromise between yourself and your ethics is asking you for your soul, and that is your identity, which you should NEVER sacrifice.
Olivia, I enjoy being your playmate and I don’t mind being your pillow (even though you tend to move around a lot) but, I want you to know that before all else I am your mother and that is a bond that can never be broken only modified. As your mother, I will do my best to protect you from the occasional head bump or fall but as you get older I’m afraid it will get harder for me to protect you from the hurts, pains and bruising life will cause you. So yes my little one you will get hurt in life and as you get older you will do things that will cause hurt and other kinds of bruising found on your psyche and ego. But, it’s okay to have these. They build character and serve as a frame of reference when learning new concepts. It may sound dreadful but trust me, you’ll be fine. Most importantly know that you are not alone. You have a resource of support, knowledge and our undying love at your disposal. As your parents we have the ability to alleviate some of that unnecessary suffering by instilling in you common courtesy and defining how and what to value.
My sweet little girl. I have loved you from your birth to the cute little craft projects you’d be sent home with from daycare to the time we spent in car rides, playing at the playground (and waiting for the new one to open its gates), reading and bedtime prayers. Every moment with you is ingrained in my brain. Your Barney, your bath time duckies, your bear hugs, your contagious belly laugh and fascination with belly buttons (BEEP,BEEP!). I have enjoyed every minute of it. You are well rounded, loving and caring and you have two parents who love you tremendously.
I wish you could stay like this forever. But, then when I think about it and how awesome you are now, I can’t wait to see how much more awesome you become as you grow. I thank God for allowing me to be a part of that and hope that I can keep up with you to nurture and nature your goals. You have so much potential. Oh, luv bug I see SO MUCH potential in you, I can only hope someday you will see it too.
I love you very, VERY much. Happy Birthday Olivia!
(((((big, biG, BIG Hugs))))
~Mummy~
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