Dear E,
Congratulations! You are making history….as I sit here and write this, we are living through a historic moment, and your seventh birthday is happening slap bang in the middle of it. This is definitely not the 7th birthday letter I thought I would be writing….but here goes!
When the Coronavirus pandemic first reared its ugly head, your first thought was “but mummy, will I be able to still have my birthday party at the local pool?” Inside, I knew it was never to be, but I smiled sweetly and said, “let’s see what happens”. But right at the moment, I knew that your life was about to become very different.
But here’s the thing, while I’ve heard so many people say they are worried about “the kids” – I’m not worried about you. Because there’s one special birthday gift that the Coronavirus pandemic has given you above all others on your 7th birthday my darling. A huge dose of empathy, a barrel of gratitude, a resilience like no other, and an enduring can-do attitude and independence which is going to keep you standing strong with the wind in your sails well after this historic moment has passed.
Yes, your education has been interrupted, and yes you miss your friends and family, and yes just before all this calamity you also witnessed the tragic passing away of my mum’s one-time partner and best friend Chris as his cruel old cancer left him gasping for air in those final hours.
But you know what? Every single time you have floored me with your response – thoughtful, caring, insightful and for the most part calm (though there have been days you’ve felt wonky, of course – don’t we all!?).
You stop me time and time again with your level headed response towards things and teach me quite a thing or two along the way. I am so lucky to have a daughter like you who is so intuitive and I really hope that in this – your seventh year and in years beyond – you find ways to turn this special gift of empathy bestowed on you and your generation into action. For goodness knows this world needs so much more of it.
But aside from all of this, keep being the happy, cuddle-obsessed, incredibly helpful, zany, dance-loving, insatiable little human being you are. Keep that spirit and fire that burns inside of you alive this and every year.
So here’s to you E – my mini-me, my partner in crime, my inspiration and my devotion. You are everything to me, and even though the world has been shaken in this new norm, I feel beyond lucky I have you by my side to shoot the breeze, have giggly dance parties, fudge our way through homeschool (or not!), and endlessly marvel at the world’s curiosities together.
We will never have this time again, this time together steeped in the marvelous innocence, joy and thirst for life that a now seven-year-old daughter brings with them. So thank you for being one of the most gorgeously inwards and outwards little people to spend these uncertain times with. So, on your 7th birthday (by god, how DID we get here so quick????!), in this special 7th birthday letter, I want to tell you that my love for you is unending, and you are mummy and daddy’s absolute world.
It’s nice to see how, despite everything, you did everything possible to give your little girl a special birthday. Wishes!
I am glad that despite the lockdown, you were able to celebrate on your daughter’s birthday. In our family, we had 5 family members who celebrated “quarantine birthdays.” We’re going to make up for it once we are out of quarantine and have a big celebration for all 5.