This and that.

The first time I held her, an overwhelming feeling of pride shot through my body.

I did this.

My body made her.

She is perfect.

And I’ll teach her everything about the world.

How to navigate through every small experience.

We’ll be best friends.

I did this.

Everyone would comment on her beauty.

As she got older, on her ability to hold conversation like an adult.

Adults would say how bright she was.

Her preschool teachers would tell me she was super social, she would be a leader one day.

Pride.

My baby? A leader?

Yes, of course.

How could she be anything else?

As she got even older, those same qualities as a toddler that everyone used to call her bright have now become a problem in school.

She talks… but too much.

A ‘T’ for talking today on her chart.

She leads… but too much.

She needs to learn to not be so bossy, the teachers don’t need help telling the other kids what to do.

She’s social… but too much.

She can’t sit next to this kid, or that one. They won’t pay attention. So she sits at a table with fewer students.

She’s bright… but not as bright as the other 7 kids reading 1000 sight words by mid-year.

She’s a good kid… but sometimes she doesn’t follow directions. She’s off task.

My baby girl.

She’s all of these things.

The good and the bad… because well, we all have good moments and bad moments.

As her mom, I’ll teach her that these are all just tiny  moments.

One moment doesn’t take away from all the good that you are.

As a child, you’re meant to do as I say.

As they say.

And, different people, teachers, adults and friends will see you through different lenses that they’ve created.

As you move forward on your own journey, some will accept you… for you.

They’ll see the good.

When you’re not perfect, and there will be many times you’re not, the right people will remember that they aren’t perfect either and you are trying your very best.

You will have times when others’ opinions of you will creep in your little mind to make you believe you aren’t the good…

My only hope is that I can teach you, and you will let it soak into your core, that you are only what you believe of yourself.

No one else.

I hope you learn to meet those opinions with what I’ve taught you.

Strength.

Confidence.

Self worth.

And that individuality is what the world needs.

YOU are what it needs.

My body made her.

And she is perfect.

My mind shaped her.

And she is strong.

In her tiniest of moments, she is everything that she should be.

Over the years as people have talked to me about her, and they say…

She’s so this.

She’s that.

I smile.

For I know everything that she is.