A Letter to my Daughters on their 8th Birthday

Dear E and E:

This past weekend you turned 8.

EIGHT!

How did that happen?

All I keep thinking about is that if the next eight years fly by even half as quickly, I will have two 16-year olds in the blink of an eye. Oh I hope we are all still friends then.

You Are Amazing

I love watching you excel in school, with friends, and in the way you challenge Daddy and I.

You are two smart little cookies. But you are also very loving, respectful, and all-around GOOD kids.

And that's not just me saying it. Other people go out of their way to tell me!

I see you separating from me as our drop off point for school has slowly moved farther and farther back.

I'm trying to remember the "no-kisses-at-school" rule.

I'm working on letting you go farther on your own...on your bikes, on your choice of books, on your idea of fashion or a "reasonable" breakfast.

I'm trying to choose my battles wisely. And I think you both are too.

I'm asking you do more. I know you don't like it, but you "get" it.

The thing I am most proud of?

You. Have. A. Voice.

And you use it.

When I'm overly tired and yelling you calmly ask me to stop.

When you have had an issue with someone at school, you have confronted them.

You have defended those weaker and smaller than you.

You are learning to set boundaries.

You are learning that the only person you can really control is you, and your own actions or reactions.

And, you LIKE yourselves. A lot.

As you get older and relationships get more complicated, I promise to try and keep doing whatever I can to help you stay sure of yourself, loving yourself, and knowing your self-worth... both inside and out.

That is my birthday promise.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Love, Mom aka: Mommy

Do as I say, not as I do

The other day the Twofer were playing around and wrote a bunch of letters and delivered them to The Mister and myself.

Here's one I found particularly frightening amusing...

Here's a translation in the event you can't read her chicken scratch that she gets from her father handwriting:

Hello Janine,

How is twitter going so far

it is going good for me. Anyways

my taxes are going crazy I

have them all over my floor

really it is a mess. Also I wish

you an happy and unforgetable

Easter! Love, Linda

As I've learned, there's nothing better to reveal your defects of character than having a child.

Has this ever happened to you?

Janine

PS: Not correcting the punctuation and grammar is killing me.