Dear (6 year old) Rowan,
Wow, SIX YEARS! And soon to be
SEVEN! I just cannot believe that time
has gone by, (nor that our feet are suddenly almost the same size!)
It's amazing to watch you
grow into a sweet, caring young man. It's also hard to watch you go through
struggles to find your true self, but you're on your way.
This year I've seen you finally break through
that angry wall you put up to shield yourself. I've seen you accept yourself
and your big heart and THAT is what I've been waiting for. Now, you're getting to know you. You're
embracing yourself and you're running with it. I'm learning to run with it too.
You LOVE to read. One day, you read to yourself for THREE HOURS
straight!! Among plenty of other books, some of your favorites are Mom & Dad's Calvin and Hobbes collection. They crack you up (it's hilarious. I love your laugh.) You've read 1-7 of the Amulet
series....waiting for #8. As a family,
Daddy is reading Harry Potter books to you and I'm reading Charlotte's
Web. You totally pretend like you don't like Charlotte's Web, but you beg for me to read to
you, knowing that I will it's the book I'm going to read and then hang on what will happen next. I
love you.
You've told me this year, that you're more like a teenager. You've said it many times, but it wasn't said with any attitude. Just a matter of fact statement. To be honest, you're right....as usual. You ARE more like a teenager than a 6 year
old. I guess I worry that you've missed
out on your childhood because your brain is older than you are. And I worry because teenage angst is too big
of a burden for a young child to bear. And I worry because if your formative
years were "teenage", then what will your actual teenage years
bring?! Well, basically, I worry because that's just what moms do. You are SO special to us. I just hope you feel that.
You still play Pokémon on a majority of our Sundays. This year, you also learned Magic the
Gathering. I wasn't ready for that. Uncle Jim came to visit and handed down his entire
collection of Magic cards, along with an encyclopedia of Magic the Gathering
(which you are glued to, btw), and he taught you how to play. No surprise, you are very good at it. It's honestly too hard for the rest of us to
figure out. Ok, Daddy has figured it out, but seriously, you're just as good as
he is. Settlers of Catan is another
winner, and also Pokémon Monopoly. You
love being the banker, of course :)
The Ultimate Beastmaster is one of your favorite shows. I'm so happy that
it's inspired you to be more adventurous and daring, and to get outside more.
You and Cid joined Taekwondo and made it all the
way to orange belts! SO proud, because you faced your biggest challenge there.
You stood before a room of people and spilled your heart. You
were so brave.
You've been exploring the trails on our property and even
started offering tours to the kids who have birthdays here. It's awesome. We've found mushrooms, lady
bugs, miner's lettuce, chickweed, pine needles, and endless secret hideouts.
I know you get frustrated and I really do understand why. You are so mature and responsible and you try so hard to do the right thing all the time. It sucks to watch other people get away with things that you don't feel are right. That will always suck. The world is not fair and for those of us who want it to be, that can be an overwhelming reality. You'll get better at dealing with that as you realize how much happiness you can create inside yourself and the people around you.
Year after year, I point out what a great big brother you are. This year is no different. You are the most incredible big brother. You care so much about Cid and Vada. You are kind, gentle, and patient with
them. Seeing you guide Cid through the
first few weeks of his new Kindergarten melted my heart. As the oldest, you've always taken on
responsibility and worry beyond your years.
We know that. We love that, and
we also do our best to make sure you know that you are still a kid - you don't
need to carry the world on your shoulders.
You're AMAZING, Rowan! Six was
great. Seven is going to be even better.
Love,
Momma
