love letters

Dear Em,
Today is your last day of school. How did a school year go by so fast? I feel like just yesterday we dressed you up in your cute little bumble bee outfit, put your backpack on, gave you a million kisses, & waved goodbye.

It's been such an amazing school year of love & learning & fun. We can't thank your teachers enough. So, we made them little gifts (which I'll talk about next week) & we wrote them a letter (remember the letter we wrote in December?). Here's the letter we wrote...

Dear Miss T & Miss S,

I never thought I would be the type of mom who sent her children to daycare. I always planned to be a mom & I always planned to be a professional. How I always thought my child would never go to daycare, I don’t know. I guess I hoped my mom would be around to watch over our kids. “Daycare” was always a scary word to me. It was where germs go to spread, bad words are learned, & biting prevails. At least that’s what I thought. I know those thoughts are irrational. I know there are some great places out there, & I know so many kids go to daycare & do well. Still, that’s how I felt.

We were lucky for the first year and a half to have two loving nannies & their daughters watch Emma from our home. When they both left us at the same time to follow different paths, we were devastated. For a while, I ignored anything was changing. I couldn’t even admit to myself that we would be sending our child to daycare. I had knots in my stomach, had trouble sleeping, & felt like we were failing Emma.

That’s when Emma started at XXXXX XXXX, & the experience has been an overwhelmingly pleasant surprise. It’s been a place where Emma has gone to learn & play, but also to be loved. Under your care, we’ve watched our daughter bloom & grow from a 1 ½ year old toddler to a 2 ½ year old young lady.

We never felt like we were sending her to daycare, but instead a school. With the two of you as her guide, she’s learned her letters & their sounds, the days of the week, counting, what clouds are made of, & so much more. She learned in such a fun way with songs & activities. We can’t wait to pick her up at the end of the day & hear about all she learned & did. She tells us with excitement & looks forward to her next day when she’ll be able to do weather or the calendar. At such a young age, the love of learning has been fostered in Emma, & you’re such a huge part of that.

One of the most precious moments of my life was the day she first spelled her name for us. It was such an amazing gift, tears filled my eyes. We can’t thank you enough.

Em has learned more than that. She’s learned manners & sharing & compassion. And when Emma has been ready for the next step, it’s the two of you that has seen it before we have even seen it ourselves. Drinking out of a cup without a top, potty training, I don’t think Emma would have done either of those things yet had you not told us that she was ready. You see the potential in our daughter even when sometimes we don’t see it ourselves.

We’ve always felt like you’ve partnered with us in handling the difficult stages, in praising Emma for the things that she’s accomplished, & in transitioning into that next milestone. We can’t describe what a comfort it has been for B & I (& certainly Emma too) to have such amazing partners along the sometimes scary journey of parenthood.

Your classroom feels like home to Emma & it feels like home to us. The two of you have fostered such an amazing atmosphere within your class. When we drop her off each day, we can give 100% to our jobs knowing that Emma is where she is meant to be. We trust the two of you with our child more than most of our family.

It’s not just Emma. We’ve watched the whole classroom learn & grow & develop, from almost babies, into such sweet children this past year. It’s been such an amazing year of love & learning & fun. We hope you both know what a special gift you both have, what a gift you both are. You’re molding little minds & making such an amazing difference in the world. You’ve made such a big difference in our world, & we can’t thank you enough.

In you Emma has gained two people who love her, comforters, cheerleaders, patient teachers, two people to kiss her boo-boos, two people to change her several times a day poopy diapers, & a fun audience for her cute little sense of humor. We’re going to miss you both so much this summer, but with happy hearts we can say that Emma will be beyond excited to return next year.

With so much love & gratitude,

J & B