Dear Carolyn,
Oh, it’s been a busy, busy month. Between the holidays, and rehearsals starting…we barely have time to just chill, you and I. I have to admit, I’m worried that things are just going to keep getting busier and busier until one day you’re all of a sudden moving away for college and I’ll be wondering where my pig-tailed preschooler went.
This month you’ve discovered princesses. You’d seen Cinderella before, but I let you watch Beauty and the Beast so you’d have some frame of reference for all the rehearsals you’re coming to with me. It scares you…but not nearly as much as I feared. In fact, the parts you worry about most are when Belle’s Papa is taken away, and when Papa is looking for Belle later. And it hasn’t given you nightmares or anything…and you ask to watch it often. Somehow this has led to you knowing who Ariel, Sleeping Beauty and Jasmine are. Maybe this is just a latent genetic memory triggered by watching one or two Disney movies? Or is there some sort of subliminal message buried in the movies you’ve seen? I really had meant to “protect” you from all the over-commercialized princess things, but one thing led to another and now you’re (slightly) obsessed.
I got to meet with your teachers earlier this month, for an “evaluation”. They had nothing but good things to say about you, although they did mention that you have such a quiet little voice. And I had to ask if they were sure we were discussing the same child. Apparently, you find it hard to speak up in class! After listening to you chatter, sing and giggle all day long, I have a hard time believing it.
You know, last month I would have said that terrible twos are a myth, and terrible threes are the reality. But this month has been fabulous. You are a charming, wonderful, imaginative, interesting and funny girl now. Sure, we still have our moments of disagreements, and they can be big, emotional things, but they’re just passing moments instead of whole days now. I just wish I could slow time down a little to enjoy these days more…but then again, I think I’ve been wishing that since the day you were born, and it hasn’t happened yet!
Love, Mommy