Dear Kid Saturday

Welcome to this week's installment of "Dear Kid." As always, full credit to Christina of Cutest Kid Ever for the fabulous idea. Want to write a "Dear Kid" letter of your very own? Learn more about how to participate here.

Dear Super Speed,

You're back to changing your name now and then, and I love it. This week you were all about superheroes and your super power is, you guessed it, SPEED. You love to show us your "super speed moves" and you like us to call you by your superhero name. Also, check out the big girl haircut! We had six inches taken off last weekend and you were really brave. You even gave us a little twirl when you were done, so I knew you felt extra pretty.

This week started with a little bit of drama at our weekly play date. You gave me some serious attitude when I asked you to help clean up. I had to start taking away privileges. You were determined to win, so you pushed it and pushed it, and finally we had to go straight home for a time out and a discussion about listening. Every now and then, you decide to make a play for some more power around here, and this was just one of those days. All I can do is be patient and consistent, so you know that the rules DO still apply.

You'd made a turnaround by Tuesday and were back to your funny little self. You suddenly love nothing more than to make jokes about toots and burps; you absolutely crack yourself up! You had a great time at school on Tuesday and had lots to tell me about your friends when I picked you up. Mommy got some sad news Tuesday afternoon, and you were so sweet. You knew I was feeling down and you made me a card. You told me you'd take great care of me and you sure did. We played some nice, quiet games til Daddy came home and you were an absolute angel. Thank you, sweetheart.

You've been waking up super early, which is throwing a bit of a wrench into Mom's ability to get things done in the morning. Wednesday we decided to make a deal - thirty minutes of playing together followed by thirty minutes of doing something on our own. It worked out great, and I was very proud of you for being patient while I got my chores and "computer work" done. It's a very grown-up thing to take turns like that. Great job, kiddo.

You did something VERY cool when we were working on a project for your preschool class. First, you wrote your name all by yourself, very clearly and without even asking any questions. Awesome! Then, we were looking for pictures of things that start with "n" to cut out of a magazine, and you saw the word "no." You said, "Look! That says 'no!' 'No' starts with 'n!'" You also recognized the word "yes" on the same page. It took me a minute to realize what had happened - you were reading! Later we went through one of your board books and you pointed out several other words, like "bed" and "cat." How great is that?! I can't wait to see what other words you know.

The end of the week was a hard time for Mom, with some grown-up stuff to deal with, and I know it was a little scary for you. Now that you're older, you get very anxious if something is happening that you don't understand. I don't like to see you worried, but I also don't want to lie to you or pretend like nothing's wrong. Instead, I was honest with you about being sad, but made sure to give you lots of my time and attention. We took a couple of nice trips to the park, made a birthday party for your imaginary brother (he's still very important), played some great games of dominoes, and dressed up like princesses together. You really have a knack for making me feel better and I sure do appreciate it.

I love you, sweet girl. I'm looking forward to a nice, relaxed weekend with lots of family time. And I can't wait to see what kinds of fun activities you'll think of for us next week!

Sincerely,
Mommy