A Bittersweet Birthday Note

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I wrote this note to my son for his fourth birthday, and I hereby dedicate it to parents everywhere….


You make me angrier than anyone I’ve ever been angry with. You make my heart melt more than anyone on this earth ever has. My heart is so full of love for you that it scares me… how much more can I love you? Yet when you push all my wrong buttons, I’m a helpless mess of a parent. You don’t hold my hand as often as you did when you were a tiny baby still learning to walk; yet if I am out of your sight for too long, you search for me frantically. It is bittersweet that you’re growing up, and it will always be.


On the one hand I feel proud of how slowly and steadily you’re getting more independent each day, and on the other hand it tugs at my heart that you need your parents less and less as time goes. I can already envision you growing up into a rebellious bullheaded teenager, and that scares me. But I also believe that the little loving heart of yours will soften you with time. I can’t wait for you to grow up and for us to do incredible things and adventures. But my heart also longs for this present time to move a tad slowly, so that I absorb every hug, the sounds of your laughter, and your innocent talks into my memory bank.


I never want to forget how cute you are, and how happy you made us by being our son. Your father and I are not always the ‘perfect parent’ as we’d like to be. Like every human being we are flawed and carry our own specific set of idiosyncrasies, insecurities, and shortcomings. But what is most important to us as parents is that we want to keep trying to be better. It is in my imperfections that I am finding the joy of parenting, because the challenges that parenting throws in my face pushes me to be more creative, innovative, and humble. So I often feel that I am mistaken to think that kids need their parents to grow up; it is actually the other way round. You kids help us parents grow into much better individuals, only if we let you!


So here’s wrapping up my love-filled and gyaan-filled birthday letter. Remember this: your Mumma Papa love you.






Comments

  1. AnonymousJuly 1, 2022 at 3:56 AM

    Beautifully written but you need to remember & feel proud of your son he is growing smart because you let him be what he is today . So be proud of your upbringing & love you both 💕

    ReplyDelete

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