i've been counting down since last Dec 26 ... are you ready? me neither!!

Thursday, June 10, 2010

there was a little girl ...

right in the middle of her forehead
(do you know this poem?)
and when she was good,
she was very very good!
and when she was bad, she was horrid!

Ah Elyssa ... i remember when you were this little ... it was only 5 years ago and you were most definitely that little girl. you like to stir the pot and you can be quite the little bully when you set your mind to it. you're rough and tumble and would almost rather be dusty and dirty with the boys than having tea parties with the girly girls... although you do love it when someone (anyone) will play with your hair, scratch your back, tickle your arms or do "going on a treasure hunt" on your back. you're getting so grown up these days and i sometimes wonder who you will be when you grow up ... what you'll be like ... if you'll be like me or if you'll decide you want to be the president of the united states or an underwater explorer ... i hope that you'll someday decide that no matter what abi is doing you can do what you want.
your school teacher gives me glowing reports of how wonderful and helpful you are at school and i find myself crunching into my mom's words trying to escape my lips ... ("sure wish she'd be that way at home!") i bite my tongue because i hope that your caring way will be a part of your everyday life and i don't want to jinx myself into accepting that you are one way at school and another way at home. you are a wonderful helper, you often ask me how you can help, you make your own lunch without being asked and you can do a lot of things that abi does. you want to be in charge and you want to have responsibility. you are funny and happy and mostly a well-behaved little girl.
i love you. we are a lot alike and it's hard for me to let you walk in my footsteps now that i have perspective and can guide you a different way ... but like me - you're a little bull headed and like to do things your own way. i pray that we will be friends and that we can talk and that there will come a time when we don't clash quite so much! i will give it a valiant effort - i will smile more, try to say yes more than no, and be the kind of mom that you need me to be!

3 comments:

Jen said...

Oh my. We totally used to say this poem to Hannah. Still rings true for her today.

Colleen said...

Sweet Elyssa! And very tender and sweet mommy feelings.

joven said...
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