Dear Peyton
Dear Peyton,
I am not sure when you will read this, but it is March 2022. You are currently 3-years-old and in preschool at Mini Kampus. I wanted to write you this letter to you to tell you how much I love you and to explain how proud I am to be your dad!
From the moment you were born, I knew I was in trouble. I could tell just by the way you looked at me, I was going to have a hard time with you. Part of being a parent is setting rules and enforcing them. But you have a way about you that makes me question the rules! I know I can not do that, as these rules will be important for you as you grow up, but I want to give you everything you want and it’s hard to say no to you!
As you have gotten older, you have developed such a beautiful personality. Some call it sass, but I see a strong, independent, and compassionate little girl. You certainly know how to express all of your emotions, but with that comes great kindness. Just this week, Connor had slipped and fell and you ran to his side and comforted him. After ensuring he was ok, you quickly went to your room to get a toy you knew he would like and gave it to him. Last night, Matthew pushed you and you stood up and pushed him back and told him to “stop being naughty”. I hope you never lose that ability to express your emotions like you do. It could use some refinement toward your mother, which will come with time, but I promise you we will love you unconditionally no matter the situation. Continue to be that strong-willed girl and never set a ceiling for yourself because nothing is impossible for you to achieve.
I hope you always remember one thing: You will always be my little girl even when you’re an adult. The picture below is how I will have you engrained into my memory for as long as I live:
It seems trivial now, but my fear is that the day will come too quick when you no longer need me to read you that bedtime story. Or you will not need me to reassure you over 100 times that I will be downstairs waiting for you to wake up. Or that you will want me to watch you do “gymnastics” in the living room and proceed to give me a “juicy” kiss for getting excited that you can stand on one foot and spin in a circle.
I know that day is coming, but I hope I am ready. It’s silly to even say that because I won’t be. I remember this one time I drove 3 hours one way to Aunt Julie and Uncle Phil’s cabin just to see you, your brothers, and mommy. I was not able to come on the trip because I was working, but I wanted to surprise you all for a quick visit. As soon as I got there, you looked at me and told me, “You should be at work dad. Why are you here?”. You proceeded to ignore me for the entire 20 minutes I was there and during that 3 hour drive home, I cried for about 2.5 hours. SO, I know I will be a wreck when you no longer NEED me, but never forget that it was me who loved you first! And yeah, I will probably be that dad who is overprotective. I am sorry in advance, but I will not like the first guy you tell me you like. Or the second, or the….well you get it.
But I will trust you and respect you. I know the potential that you have and I see it within you. I can not wait to watch you grow and develop even more. I am so proud of you!
Love,
Dad
