Dear Daughter,
I decided to write this letter to you because honestly I just want you to know exactly what I am dealing with. Hopefully you won’t read this post until you are a mommy with a three year old just like YOU! Tonight, you wanted chicken nuggets for dinner, with lots of ketchup. But then you didn’t want them. You refused to get a bath, so I got soaked helping you get a shower. The Hershey Kiss I gave you melted in your hand and you smeared it on the glass door, so I put you in time out. Screaming ensued for 3 minutes. You are watching Ask the Story Bots on Netflix and bossing me around. “Mommy. Chocolate Milk!” You are cold one minute and hot the next. For real…you kick off your blanket and then complain. I am literally taking deep breaths and repeating to myself, it is just a phase.
Today you are 3 years, 4 months and 15 days old. You are a mini version of me…everyone says so. Certain days you call me your best friend (awwwwww!), and sometimes you scream at me “Mommy you are NOT my best friend.” I never know which “you” I am going to get. When I pick you up from daycare, you used to run and hug me. Now, I am lucky if I get a hello. Your little girlfriends are so precious to you..it melts my heart to see you all playing, laughing, and having FUN.
Pull-ups are still a part of our daily routine, but you do go on the potty when you feel like it. When you do, you are so proud. So am I. Depending on the day, you let me braid your hair (long and blonde). You hate getting it combed though- it is so knotty. Red is your favorite color, and you are obsessed with unicorns. You love to watch Power Puff Girls and Sofia the First.
You won’t sit still and you get pissed at me when I can’t understand what you are saying. But the way you talk is so sweet. When I laugh at silly things you say (like just now, you asked me “is this toison?”- aka POISON- before smiling and taking a sip of your juice) you get extremely mad at me and yell “MOMMY THAT IS NOT SO FUNNY!” You run away and cry. Two minutes later you come back and say sorry.
At bedtime, you need me to lay with you and rub your back. On Thursday you were up until 11:45 PM and you would have stayed up longer if I didn’t practically hold you down to go to sleep. You have an attitude on the soccer field (SHOCKER) and I already feel bad for your future coaches. I am calling it now though…you are naturally athletic and will be amazing.
Your teachers love you, your family and friends love you, and I love you most…even when you act like a little wild child and have your fits. The tantrums don’t last very long, but they are frequent. I thought I was in trouble when you were two. I was so wrong. Three is no joke. You make me laugh and you make me cry…and mumble certain phrases under my breath. But, I would not change you for the world. I can only hope that your temper will turn into fierceness when you grow up. If so you will be unstoppable.
For now, I will stay strong the next 8 months and only hope that four is a little less of a roller coaster.
Goodnight Baby Girl (you hate when I call you that),
Love Mommy
This is perfect! Both for your daughter when she’s older and therapeutically for you now! ??? If I didn’t know any better I would think you were writing about my middle child who was the youngest for 15 years. Yes there is a 19 year gap between my oldest and youngest and a 15 year gap between my middle child and my youngest. The good news is that the stubbornness and assertiveness and strong willed child that is a bi-polar threenager now will be a leader, a strong healthy woman, who stands for what she believes in and isn’t easily manipulated by others as you hit the pre-teen years that makes threenagers look like angels!!! You’re doing a great job mama! Never doubt that!
Needed this today ❤️