Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Happy 9th Grace!

You are nine years old today, even though you've been acting at least that old for several years now. You are becoming a very unique young lady right in front of me, finding your own personality and skills as you become more independent.

You retain your strongest characteristic--a fierce sense of independence and confidence. This has set you apart from many in our family and will give you the power and energy to become a very significant person in the years to come. Your ability to excel in school has already been proven and this summer you've added some pretty impressive budding softball skills to your repertoire.

What's next for you? Who knows . . . and the best thing is that you don't want to be held back and limited. As you have always done, you want to charge ahead and learn more, be more, do more, control more. I am excited about who you are becoming and (honestly) a little bit scared about what you'll want to do next. You are always going to be pushing the envelope and it'll be up to me to reign you in when I must and allow you to challenge yourself whenever possible. Being a parent isn't easy, and being a proper steward to someone with as much potential as you is a privilege.

I don't even want to think about what may come when you think about boys and they wise up enough to start paying attention to you. But, luckily, that is a few more years away. I am sure THAT will be a whole new set of challenges . . . but one we'll work on together.

I'm happy and proud to be your dad and I am very excited to see you experience your ninth year. Don't ever give up on yourself and what you want to do!

Happy Birthday to you!


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