you and i are obsessed with the song “let it go” from frozen. we listen, we watch, and we sing as loud as we can. over and over again.
and i can’t help but think that letting go is a simple little phrase that means a lot as your mother these days. i’ve always known that a day would come when
you wouldn’t need me so much and i’ve always known that i would never be fully ready for it.
watching you gain new skills, more confidence, and greater independence is exciting and maybe a tad bittersweet.
with a checklist, you pretty much run your own morning routine. you no longer need someone to button your sweater or tie your shoes
or remind you to put your lunchbox in your backpack. once you settle in and focus, you rarely need help with your homework because you can read the
instructions yourself. after many attempts to put off a shower “just one more night”, you give in and get yourself mostly ready for bed. your independence
is spreading beyond our comfy home as well. i now have to share my time with basketball camp or scouts or the girls who live down the street.
although i am keenly aware of the recent shifts, i do not fear letting you go in teeny tiny gradual bits.
i so want you to explore the world beyond our four walls. i want you to know and love people who are different from you and from us.
i want you to wander and climb and find new adventures. i want you to see things that take your breath away. i want you to dare to dream big.
i want you to take risks and make mistakes. and i want you to have the space and the courage to be who you want to be (so long as you always kind and polite
and generous). parenthood is one exercise of letting go after another and it cannot be avoided. i hope to raise you to be a strong and capable woman–so
strong and capable that i am someday virtually unnecessary.
but even then, when you pause to give me a hug or lay your head upon my shoulder or when you want to chat over an ice cream sundaee, i will let those moments linger.
Credits:
Sahlin Studio:
Autumn Mixed Media
Autumn Moon
Autumn Afternoon Papers
Autumn Afternoon Felt Flowers
Autumn Afternoon Flowers
Retro Mod
Autumn Sun Homemade Flowers
Vintage Torn Papers
Heather Joyce:
The Bear
Amy Wolff:
Messy Marvin 4
Messy Marla
Kim Jensen:
Torn Tape Dates
Akizo:
Stitched and Shawdowed Alpha
