Hand write it, type it and print it, or just write an email to yourself and save it in a special folder. Someday, when they're graduating high school, getting married, or applying to graduate school, you'll be glad you did. I hope to make a little book for each of my kids with the letters I wrote them. Here is one such letter, written for Julia on the day she lost her first tooth:
October 24, 2013
Dear Julia,
Today you lost your first tooth. You're only 3 and a
half. It was a shock to me, and something I wasn't expecting, but you handled
it like a champ.
You were climbing up the slide at the playground (in your
usual ambitious spirit) and slipped over the side, landing face down, and
effectively displacing your top right front tooth, root and all.
You cried for a minute from the surprise, then laughed it
off, with your ever joyful attitude.
We rushed you off to the pediatric emergency dentist (with the tooth in a bottle of
milk to preserve it). You played happily in the waiting room, not fully aware
of the situation, but totally willing to go along with it. Your laid back,
unassuming, relaxed demeanor was totally opposite of mine: frantic, worried,
and scared.
I asked if the dentist could please put your tooth back.
He explained that it couldn't be done and cited concerns that it could graft to
the bone and cause complications for your permanent teeth later. After all, it
was "just a baby tooth."
But it wasn't just a baby tooth. That little tooth was
one of the first you ever teethed on. One of the first you ever brushed. And it
was a perfect little piece of my firstborn baby girl. I wasn't ready to let go
of it. It would be 2-3 years before your permanent tooth would replace it, and
I guess I just didn't want you to have a gap in your smile for that long.
You sat in the dentist's chair so patiently as they
examined your teeth and took some x-rays, obliging them of every little request
with polite obedience. You asked me to hold your hand. I think it was more for
my comfort than yours.
They told you that you could pick 2 prizes for being so
good. You chose a bouncy ball for your first prize. When I asked you what you'd
like for your second prize, you looked at all the stickers, balloons, cars,
rings, and said, "I want to bring home a bouncy ball for Rachel,
too." What a kind, selfless act! You had just experienced one of the most
traumatic experiences of your life, and you were still thinking about others.
You wanted to surprise your sister.
When we left the dentist's office, we got you a strawberry
smoothie. You sat in your Graco car seat (at 27 lbs.) and drank the whole thing.
As we drove home, you began sensing the emptiness in your
mouth, feeling the void in your top gum line with your tongue. You said,
"Mommy, I want my tooth back now."
Later, you asked again, "Can I please have a new
tooth?"
My eyes welled up with tears as I tried to explain the
process: "Well, you'll get a new tooth there, but it has to grow first.
You need to wait for it."
Oh, if only I could ease your pain! I'd do anything to go
through this instead of you. But, my sweet Julia, there's a reason.
With every phase of life, we have to go through
transition. We have to let go of the old to welcome the new. We have to
experience loss to appreciate gain. And we have to endure pain for growth.
It's easy to want to go back. You're used to that old
tooth. It felt normal to have it. And now in the early stages of life without
it, you're unsure and you might feel apprehensive.
Know this, Julia: better things are coming. Pain doesn't
last forever. Although change is inevitable, God's guidance and loving presence
are always with you. He will never leave you or forsake you.
Life will be full of moments like today. You may lose
things. You may be taken off guard by an unexpected turn of events. You may be
left in a holding pattern, wondering when the next thing will show up.
But be sure of this - God loves you. I love you. Daddy loves
you. Your whole family loves you. And there's a reason for everything you
experience, even if it's just to prepare you for what's next.
You are a beautiful girl, Julia. Inside and out.
Love,
Mommy
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