A Letter to Emily

This week Emily was the Cool Kid in her class. In years past this has meant printing off pictures and making a poster board that they can display in the class all week. So I was surprised this year when the note came home and asked for a baby picture, and a letter to Emily telling her why we loved her, and why she is special. This would not be a problem, except the teacher would be reading the letter to the class.

I do not feel that writing is one of my best things. There have been many times that I have wanted to blog about something and end up not doing it, because I can't express how I am feeling the way I want to. There are people who read my blog, who I am sure cringe every time I write, because of all of the grammatical errors. Plus I am somewhat hesitant at expressing my personal feelings, because they might not come across the way I want them to. So having to write a personal letter to my 10 year old daughter, to be read in front of 5th graders was quite a daunting task for me. I knew if I got too mushy or said the wrong thing, Emily would be the one who suffered for it.

I spent a few days thinking about all of the things I wanted to say. I even asked Emily if there where things she did not want me to say. She could not think of anything, but she told me to put something funny in it and DO NOT EMBARRASS HER. The problem is all of the funny things I could think of to say would have probably embarrassed her.

The night before her spotlight, I sat down and started typing. Once I had all of the things I wanted to say down, Ryan polished it and added a few things. Emily was asleep when we finished, so I sealed the letter in an envelope and put it with her school things.

I wondered all day how it had gone.

When Emily came home she said. "I loved your letter mom, and thanks for not embarrassing me."

They did not read the letter until after lunch, and Emily said that she was nervous all morning. Her friends laughed at the right things and thought it was great too. Now that I have the approval of the 5th grade, I wanted to post the letter on my blog, because Emily is a great daughter and I want everyone to know how much we love and appreciate her.

(This is the picture she took to school. We call it "Queen Emily")

Dear Emily,

You are such an important part of our family, and we are glad we have the opportunity to write this letter to you, to tell you how special you are and just how much we love you.

You were a very stubborn and determined child who knew what she wanted and did not back down. As soon as you could talk you started to tell us that you were the boss. We finally gave in and agreed that you were a little boss in charge of your toys, and we were the big bosses. You were happy with that for about one day and then you told us that the "Little Boss" was in charge. While this was a challenge for us, we hoped that you would carry that determination and confidence throughout your life.

Even though you had your own ideas of how things should be done, and what we were doing wrong, you always had the desire to do good and follow the rules and guidelines that were set for you. Because of this we have been able to be confidant as your parents that when you are not with us we can trust you to make good choices.

You are the best big sister and your brothers love you to death. They look up to you so much and are always talking about you and the things you say and do. You are so nice to them, and you are very patient with them, even when they attack you.

Being the oldest means a lot more responsibility gets put on you. You are such a great helper. Whenever we ask you to do things you quickly do it, and usually do not complain. We are so grateful for that. Sometimes dad calls you Cinder Emily, but it is only because we know we ask more of you. Without you things would not go as smoothly in our home.

You are a very smart young woman. You have always loved to read and be read to. You have always been interested in learning new things and discovering the wonders of the world around you. We know that if you stay focused, you will be very successful.

Your imagination is one of the many gifts you have. We are always impressed with the things you come up with, and how well you can entertain yourself and the people around you with no more than a backyard and a stick. You have always had this imagination, even when you were very young.

You are a good friend and are always kind and thoughtful to those around you. You always see the best in people, and make friends easily.

You have many more great talents and abilities, and we love watching you grow and develop new loves and interests. You are a great example to your siblings and a great daughter. It is a blessing to have you in our family. We hope you know how much we love you. You are the best!

Love,

Mom and Dad