Dear Carolyn,
Today you are four-and-three-quarters. See? I’m teaching you fractions and you’re not even in kindergarten yet!
It’s been an incredibly busy month. We’ve had two parties for your sister, one of which included seeing all of your cousins from our of town. You’ve had several little mini camps and started swimming lessons this past week – every day for two weeks! We’ve been going to the library for story times and their “Paws for Reading” program every week, and the farmer’s market to pick out fruits and veggies and to see if the clown is there making balloon animals. It’s kind of crazy to compare it to what last month felt like, when it seemed like we were doing pretty much nothing all day. And you know what? Amidst all this busy-ness, you’ve turned back into my perfect little angel. I think you get bored too easily with staying home and relaxing!
You alternate between brimming with excitement over kindergarten and being terrified about it. You regularly come out with statements about how you don’t want to go to kindergarten because “everyone will laugh at me because I’m so small” or “I’m scared to sit next to kindergartners on the bus because they’ll be 5 and I’m only 4.” Part of this is Daddy’s and my fault for talking in front of you about how you’re going to be among the youngest in your class. Part of it is because people always seem to be commenting on how petite you are. And part of it is because you’re related to me and worry is just part of our genetic makeup.
What I can tell you, what I’ve been telling you, is that you’ve always been the smallest and the youngest so far in school. And despite that, you’ve always been able to make friends easily because you are kind, and honest, and funny, and charming. You are good at sharing and at helping, and are always concerned about how other people feel. And those are the things that make you ready for kindergarten, not how old you are or how tall you are. If you just be yourself, people can’t help but like you. I know I certainly can’t!
Love, Mommy