love notes

it's amazing the effect kindergarten can have on a child in a mere nine weeks.  susanna has gone from a timid, apprehensive little girl who came home from her staggered entry day (the day when smaller groups of kindergartners go for a few hours to be evaluated prior to the beginning of school) crying, to a confident, excited student who bounds out of the car at dropoff and never looks back. she adores everything about kindergarten and loves to regale us with stories of her days.

her metamorphosis is not only in her demeanor, but also in her learning.  she now has an incredible grasp of numbers and is reading simple books fairly independently.  but her favorite thing to do now is to write.  she'll grab anything nearby -- a marker and a napkin, or a colored pencil and a notepad -- and sit down to document whatever's on her mind.  i have to admit that it sometimes tries my patience just a tad when it's the end of the day and i'm scrambling in the kitchen to get dinner ready and am being bombarded with questions like, "how do you spell 'excited'?" and "how do you spell 'bicycle'?", so i just try to remember that this interest in writing is a really incredible thing.  (even if i still sigh inwardly from time to time.)

i came across an interesting article a few months ago that really resonated with me, titled "how to talk to little girls".  i'm embarrassed to admit how difficult it has been to change my habits since reading it -- i had no idea how much i, and everyone i know, emphasize little girls' appearances over their far more important traits.  (please take the time to check out the article here to fully understand what i'm trying to say.)  

so all that she's mastering in kindergarten has dovetailed nicely with my new goal of recognizing her achievements as much as i possibly can.  my favorite projects of hers are the ones she does completely on her own, partly because she's showing more and more independence, and partly because of the pleasant surprises they are to us -- gifts, really -- when she proudly displays her work that we had no idea she was even doing.  yesterday she grabbed my hand and said, "come, mommy!  i made some treasures for you to see!"  and in the kitchen, i found four little post-it notes affixed to various drawers and cabinets, and one more upstairs near super's bed.

but i was happiest to see the fifth one.  it wasn't "i love my princess dress" or "i love my pretty hair".  it was far more important.  one that, as her parent, i will continue to remind her, and emphasize with her, and instill in her.  one i hope she'll continue to say, and believe, for the rest of her life.