Dear child of mine,
This has been quite an adventurous two years with you. There was a time that you depended on me for your every need. It was exhausting and beautiful to have you so dependent on me. Now that you have grown, our days are filled with messes and meltdowns. Sometimes I wonder how I can possibly get so frustrated with such an amazing little creature. I want you to know that even in the moments that I get angry at you for simply being a mischievous little two-year-old, I love everything about you.
One day you made your way over to the kitchen sink that never seems to stay empty for more than a few seconds. The mound of housework was making me anxious and then I looked over to see you playing with dirty dishes. My gut reaction was to stop you because you were making a mess and I needed to get things done. Then I stopped, stepped back, and grabbed my camera to see things from a different perspective. What I saw was something that has made me slow down ever since.
I saw a child who was in awe of this amazing thing that runs out of a faucet. I watched your little hands pour water back and forth between cups and bowls. When I stepped back, I saw a moment that I will miss when this stage of life passes. There will be a day that I won’t hear your little feet pit-pattering over to help every time you hear dishes clanging. Eventually, there won’t be water spilled all over the floor and my clothes. Some day I will get the same amount of dishes done in 20 minutes that took me a full hour to finish. I love the ways in which you look at this world with such awe and wonder. I cherish these moments together – the good, the hard, and the messy.
I’ll love you forever,
Mommy
