I Am Proud

To My Daughter:

In your four years of life, you have given me lots to be proud of.  Today, your last day of preschool for the year, I am proud again.

I am proud that you did not cry when I said good-bye to you on your first day of school.

I am proud that, when you did cry every morning after that, you pulled yourself together by the time your feet hit your classroom door.

I am proud that when I ask you why you cry when we say good-bye, you say "Because I misted you, Mami."

I am proud that on the first Monday of your life with a little baby brother at home, you did not want to go to school.

I am proud that you went.

I am proud that you made friends -- with girls and with boys.

I am proud that you think your friends are the funniest people in the world.

I am proud that you've realized how much you love to laugh.

I am proud that every bracelet and necklace you accessorized with always made it home at the end of the day.

I am proud that you learned how to swing by yourself.

I am proud that you learned to write your name.

I am proud that you learned what your imagination is, and that it lets you do things like make a hair salon in a wagon, a castle at the top of a slide, and a fairy land in the sand.

I am proud that you love to hug your teachers.

I am proud that you know how sing "Allouette" in French and "It's Raining, It's Pouring" in sign language.

I am proud that when I asked you "What did you do at school today?" you always answered "I don't remember"...but then you remembered and told me all about it.

I am proud that when a new girl started in your classroom in the middle of the year, you greeted her with a hug and took her by the hand into circle time.

I am proud that you spent the day in a room with a pet hamster, even though you don't like animals.

I am proud that you spent so much time on the playground and in the woods, even though you don't like insects.

I am proud that you worried about the kids who were out sick one day.

I am proud that when you were out sick for four days, on the fifth day you told me "It's time for me to go back to school.  I can do it."

I am proud that you realized when someone was having a sad time, and it made you sad, too.

I am proud that when I ask you who you like to play with, you say "Everyone."

I am proud that sometimes when I came to pick you up, you were doing a puzzle by yourself.

I am proud that sometimes when I came to pick you up, you were playing chase with a gang of friends.

I am proud that you taught yourself to play "Mary Had A Little Lamb" on the piano.

I am proud that you are proud of yourself when you sound out a word.

I am proud that every time we drive by your school, you gleefully shout out "There's my school!"

I am proud that you love to introduce your brother to everyone, every morning during drop-off.

I am proud that you loved the day your dad spent the morning at school with you.

I am proud that sometimes, you ate the lunch I packed for you.

I am proud that when you started staying at school for the full day after I went back to work, you pretended not to notice.

I am proud that you did so many things without me, things that I will never know about, and you still make me feel like I'm an important part of your life.

I am proud that at the end of the day, I'm the one that gets to take you home.

xo