To my oldest kid: It seems like yesterday that you came into this world and changed mine forever. It was a blur of newness for both you and me. You were seeing the world for the first time, and I became the center of it in an instant.
Here we are, seven years old and two younger siblings later. I sit here in amazement as I watch you with your siblings. You are responsible and clever. You are kind and nurturing. You aren’t afraid to lay down the law. (That’s my favorite.) You are everything that I could have ever hoped for in a big sister, and they know how lucky they are.
Sometimes, I ask a lot of you, and I will admit, maybe I hold you to a different standard than your siblings. But I know that I can because you are different. You are special. You will always want to learn to do new things. Sometimes, it makes me sad when you don’t need my help, but it also makes me so proud. We are figuring it out together.
I know that as you get older, we may not always see eye to eye. You won’t always want to be the oldest, you won’t always want to deal with your younger siblings, you won’t always want to deal with me. That’s okay, too. We will disagree; we will fight. I won’t always be your favorite person, but I promise that you will always be mine.
I know that you think that it’s my job as your mom to teach you everything, but it’s you who’s teaching me. You taught me that I don’t have to be perfect to be a good mom. You taught me that life doesn’t always go according to plan, but it will always work out in the end. You taught me that I can do everything, even when I feel overwhelmed, because of you.
