Today, I'd like to share something special I found circulating on Twitter. It's a letter a parent wrote to her son, who is about to start Kindergarten. As I read it, I got the feeling that the author really was writing the letter to herself.
The letter made me stop and think. Most parents are not nearly as sentimental about their children starting Kindergarten these days (just read some of the negative comments), because many children start day care or preschool way before Kindergarten. But is this letter really just about a child starting Kindergarten?
For me, no. As my daughter starts high school, and I have done a lot of my own "letting go," I realize how precious our time with our children really is. It's so easy to let our busy days go by, without taking time out to notice what a wonder and a privilege it really is to be a parent.
So, this letter really applies to all parents, I think. It should serve as a reminder that we should not become so focused on the future that we let the present pass us by. Children need their parents to notice the little things that happen in their lives every day.
My little girl's starting high school! It seems like just yesterday that she was getting on the bus for her first day of Kindergarten. Maybe I'll write her a letter. For now, though, I think I'll just give her a great big hug.
