(To be read
on her 18th birthday)
Today is your
fourth birthday. All signs of you having once been a baby – bald, babbling,
chubby and small enough to nestle comfortably on my thigh – have completely vanished.
You are now a long, lean, intelligent, assertive and beautiful … person.
Your love for nursery rhymes and picture books is being replaced
by pop music and feature films. Already, many of the mental
images of your early months and years are fading, for you and for me. By the
time you read this, although photos may remain, you will almost certainly have lost
any personal recollections of your first daycare teachers, your nursery, your red
tricycle and much more.
Of course,
growing older will surely bring you many new cherished memories – your first
day of school, your first time behind the wheel of a car … your first kiss. As
a teenager, you may not yet appreciate the nostalgia of youth as much as your
old man, and it’s certainly healthier to look toward the future than live in
the past. Nevertheless, in the days, months and years ahead, as you gain new
independence and insight into the world around you, I have one simple request:
Remember
what life was like today, okay?
Remember what
makes four-year-old you happy. And sad. And mad. Remember the wonders of the
world that seem amazing today but, in adulthood, will seem commonplace and ordinary.
This may
be challenging to do in 14 years, so I’ve tried to help by compiling a list of
some of the things that make you tick right now. As you get older, time will move
by faster and faster, with new stresses and challenges presenting themselves
every day. I hope this will help to slow things down – to simplify life – if
only for a few minutes.
Four-year-old
you believes:
- Drinking water is best served piping hot.
- A
ride up and down a department store escalator is more entertaining than any roller
coaster.
- A
bike seat is a perfect place to take a nap.
- It’s
not museum-worthy art unless it includes glitter paint.
- A plain cheeseburger contains no cheese.
- The
gloomiest mood can be cured by two minutes of petting a Jack Russell Terrier.
- There's never a wrong time to wear a tiara.
- Gnats
are terrifying. Locusts? Awesome, and worthy of up-close inspection.
- Syrup is a useless and unnecessary condiment.
- A
twirl is always required immediately after putting on a dress.
-
A
common crow is as awe-inspiring a creation as the most majestic eagle.
- Clean
pavement and chalk are all anyone really needs to occupy a warm, sunny afternoon.
- "Polka-dot" bananas taste best.
- Bedtime
always includes a hug, a kiss and a high five.
- All
music is dance music
I could, of
course, go on and on, but I don’t want to get too sentimental. Instead, I’ll try to tie this all together with a
Dr. Seuss quote that’s a favorite of both your Mom and me. In fact, to
celebrate your third birthday, your Mom posted this on Facebook (Will that
still be a thing in 2028?):
Today you are you!
That is truer than true! There is no one alive who is you-er than you!
Always be
you. Happy Birthday, Jitterbug.
Love,
Dad
