Dear Tiny,
I'm 31 years old and I've done many things so far in my life. But I don't mean to give the impression that I have things all figured out. Life, to me, is a long project during which sometimes you're doing great and sometimes you're a little bit lost. Keep this in mind as you grow up and encounter hurdles and successes, ok?
For example, tonight over dinner I talked to Dad about how I would like to demand more from people in my life. Or, at least, to be better at confronting situations or people when things risk being slightly awkward. I don't think I'm so good at that, but it's something I'm working on.
When I think about your life, it's so untarnished. You don't have a history of anything. No baggage. No influence yet. You haven't been inspired or stunted or shoved in a corner or given a spotlight to shine.
It will be impossible to avoid becoming a sum of your experiences, but I see hope when I think about you and your life. I'm hopeful that I can encourage you to be better than I am in many ways and to make your own mistakes. I promise to try to use my 31 years as neutrally as I can when raising you so that you can grow up to form your own opinions about the world. In fact I cannot even wait until you come home and tell me and Dad that you want to learn Vietnamese! Or become a polar bear trainer! I find it fascinating that you may emerge as an individual who is really different from your parents.
Love,
Mama
