Dear Little One,
One day, I hope you come across this letter. Perhaps you’ll find it online, or I might hand it to you when you’re a parent yourself. Maybe you’ll stumble upon it next week and doodle a flamingo on it (I know how much you love flamingos lately) and ask me to read it aloud.
Today, Mommy is feeling exhausted. You’re at school, and I miss you deeply. I can’t help but wonder if you miss me too.
Will you recall this day? Will you remember the things you did? Did you make a new friend? Did you laugh? Will the picture you drew stick in your mind? I’ll remember, because I keep everything you create.
I also think about whether you’ll remember that Mommy was tired or if I was a bit irritable, or if I lost my patience when you wouldn’t put your shoes on, even after I asked you nicely 57 times. I will remember because I’ll spend the day wishing I had done better.
Do you recall our time at the pumpkin patch last weekend? I wonder if you’ll remember the joy we had riding the Bumpy Cow Train. I try to make as many wonderful memories as possible in the fleeting moments we share. I will hold onto those memories tightly.
Will you remember that Mommy worked a lot? I wonder if you’ll think back to the times I was glued to my phone, responding to emails or texts. I will remember it, because I strive to give you the best life possible. I hope that amidst the work, I’m not missing precious moments with you.
I wonder if you’ll recall when your Mom and Dad lived together. Will you remember the day we moved out? I hope you’ll see that it made me happier and allowed me to be a better version of myself— for you. I know I’ll rethink that choice daily until you tell me it was best for both of us.
Will you remember the night you were sick and I stayed up listening to your gentle breaths, checking your temperature while you slept? I will remember those moments forever.
Will you remember how deeply Mommy loved you? Will you recall the feeling of that love? I will; it’s something intense and unforgettable, always at the forefront of my heart and mind.
I ponder these things because I can’t recall my own childhood like you do. I don’t remember your Grandma, my mother, struggling as a single parent, or being stern, or tired, or working tirelessly to provide for me. But I know these things because she shared them with me, just as I’m sharing with you.
If you ever wonder what your childhood was like, I hope you remember how loved you were. And if you’re reading this in 2050, maybe as a parent yourself, I hope you’ll come back to this moment—when you were three and I was 30— and know that I loved you with everything I had. Please tell me it all mattered. Tell me that everything I did was worth it.
Summary
This heartfelt letter expresses a mother’s reflections and hopes for the memories her child will carry into adulthood. She wonders if her child will remember their shared experiences, her love, and the challenges of parenting. The letter serves as a poignant reminder of the lasting bonds between parent and child, encouraging the child to appreciate their childhood and the love that surrounded them.