9

Dear Madeline,

Yesterday, you made me the proud parent of a 9-year-old.  It is hard to believe that your Daddy and I have been at the parenting game for that many years.  You were a wonderful surprise who has turned into a wonderful little person.

I am proud of you for so many reasons.  I believe you to be kind, smart, thoughtful, responsible, and beautiful...in no particular order.  No one of these adjectives defines you,  you are so many things to me and to others.  As I said, you are now a little person.  You are not just my baby; you are also a friend, a student, a team member, a piano player, a singer, a sister (x3), and a leader.  However, you were mine first.  You were my daughter first.

We do not always agree.  We are not "just alike."  We see things differently and have different interests.    I am not always thrilled by your clothing choices or hairstyles.  I see you trying out your pre-teen chops.  I know that you are not perfect; that you probably are not quite as model a citizen as you tend to be in your home.  I know that the day is coming where you will think (even more than you do now) that I have no sense and that I am unreasonable.  I know that we will clash.

I will still love you.  I will still be proud of you.  I will still look at you, in wonder of your beauty and elegance.  Amazed that you are so intelligent.  I will be beaming with pride, knowing that your beauty means nothing to you in comparison to your book collection.  I will love you when you hate me.  I will be proud of you when you do not meet my expectations.  I will always be here for you because you were my daughter first.  I waver in my thinking, wondering if I am too hard on you.  I wonder if we expect too much.  You just keep delivering more on every front.  You have made my life easier, filled it with joy, introduced me to a sense of pride I had never encountered.  You are brave and confident when I am worried and conflicted.  You skin is thicker than mine.

I am so thankful for the surprise that is you.  What a treat.

I Love You,
Mama