Turning nine this year proves that my middle child is quietly sneaking up on us. It's hard to be sandwiched in the middle, living in the shadow of an older sister and in the after-math of a whirlwind of a little brother. Given that so much parental attention needs to follow the oldest as we all explore unchartered territory (middle school...need I say more?) and also follows the youngest as we continue to work on discipline and respect (and responsibility...and following directions...and using words instead of actions...and...).
Luckily for our middle child, she is very different from her brother and sister, who are very alike to each other. Our younger daughter stands in her own light, which she casts into that shadow of her older sibling. And she has unbelievably strong roots so as not to get blown away in that whirlwind from her brother.
With what I like to call an "old soul", our daughter has the ability to connect with us in ways that her siblings do not. It's in the look in her beautiful blue-green eyes, it's in the curve of her smile, it's in her recognition and connection with us about the craziness that goes on around us all in a family of five.
She just "gets it"; she understands that we all have to wait our turn for certain things. And better yet she knows that making other people happy is sometimes as good as - or better - than making ourselves happy. This is something that a lot of kids don't learn until they are out of college...or ever.
And just when I'm worried about her not being silly enough and embracing her childhood, she'll take her silly putty and shape it into mustache and place it on her face, waiting to surprise the next person that looks at her.
Though she can still very often be reserved in her behaviors (much like her painfully shy days of preschool), she quietly moves forward in life. Without us even realizing it, she will master a new skill like skateboarding, or she will run for class representative in her 3rd grade class - and get elected.
In fact, she forgot to tell us about her classroom election for 3 days. In one single day she decided to run, wrote and delivered a sensible - and a little bit silly - speech, and then won the election in her classroom. And then she just sort of let life go on as normal, remembering to tell us about it all several days later.
So here's to you my newly minted nine year old - my birthday wishes for the next year.
- May you always shine your own light and glow in the knowledge that you are special and unique and deserving of every bit of attention that flows your way.
- May you always have strong roots and and continue to build a foundation of love, respect and patience, both from others, and from and within yourself.
- May you never loose sight of the value of a little silly behavior, keeping you young at heart.
- May your quiet strength and confidence continue to grow and flourish through the years.
I love you sweet pea.
