Today was a big day for you, Emma Grace. This morning, you had a Thanksgiving program at school, and you sang so well and confidently. Daddy, Lily, and I were really proud of you up there.
Then, this afternoon, the day got even more memorable. You have been close to reading for a long time, but I have been so determined to keep your joy for books alive, to avoid frustration by not pushing you too soon, that I have been staying away from reading lessons. Today, we decided to try together, and you started to recognize sight words, sound out most of the other words, and read several early reader stories with a little help. You were so excited by your new skill. We are reading simple books together, but you are doing wonderfully, and I am so proud of you.
Tonight, as I snuggled you before bed, I told you that even when you are Mommy’s age, you will always be my baby. You began to tell me of your dreams for the future. You said you will still live with me when you are in your thirties. I explained that Daddy and I don’t live with our parents anymore, and you likely won’t, either. I said you’d probably have your own house and could make your own decisions. As you thought about that, you told me what you think your life will look like. Below is a close approximation of the exact words you said. I thought you would enjoy looking back on this someday when you’ve lived a few decades and have seen how your life has begun to unfold. Here is what you said:
I will have a boy, a girl, and another boy. (I asked you if you were having three kids.) You said, “Yes,” and then proceeded to describe them a bit. The one boy will have brown hair. The other boy will have blonde hair, and the girl will have, um, brown hair, too.
I will live on a farm. (I asked you who would do all of the work.) You got a big smile and said, “I will have a husband.” (I then asked you if he would do all of the work, wondering if that is what you were implying with your smile.) You said, “No, I will help, too.”
You told me more about your farm. I will have a pet. I will have a dog and a cat. I will have bales of hay down the hill and a weeder (you meant feeder :-)) for the birds with food in it. I will have geese. I will have cows, too. (Aside from the geese, you are describing Grandpa and Grandma’s farm, your four-year-old vision of a dream life. It will be fun to see if this is what you continue to want as you get older. As I listened to your hopes, I told you that it sounds like you will have a very busy house, filled with three kids and lots of animals. I said that I will love to visit you in your busy home.)
I love you so much, my favorite four-year-old. I am proud of you for having new skills and big dreams. Often, things happen differently from our childhood plan. I wanted to name my kids “Kiki” and “Orgis” when I was your age. :-) Still, it’s great to have an imagination and a sense of hope for your future.
You, my Emma, are beyond my wildest dreams. I am so thankful that no matter what my plan was when I was four, I got wonderful you. I couldn’t have dreamed big enough to know that I was going to get to be your mommy.
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