To Ty, now that you are twelve,
I’ve just texted you a message and realized…holy crap are you getting old!
With each passing year, I find that the things I love most about you are becoming recognized by everyone around you. Your kind and gentle nature with younger kids, your ability to make everyone laugh and the way you carry yourself in a room of adults as if you are meant to be there, are things that truly make you stand out among your peers. Not a week goes by that I don’t hear from someone about something wonderful that you did or how polite you are and I know that we’ve raised an incredible boy.
You work so hard at everything you do and we admire that about you! You started to play hockey last year at 10 years old and had the confidence to skate among kids who had played since they were 5! You worked hard every practice and game so that you could build the skills and keep up with your team, even earning the “Most Improved Player” last year! You never give up and we see that in everything that you do from hockey to school, you give it your all and it shows! You should also be so proud of the conscientious student that you are. Each passing year, your teachers tell me how lucky they are to have you in their class. You work hard, have respect for the classroom and learning and continue to blow our minds with what you know (especially science)!
Being the big brother can suck sometimes, I get it. Most of the time you have the patience to go to the basement when Jayden is scared to go alone and allow him to join in on your video game time. I also know that when you aren’t being as patient as you could be, you know it and really work hard to do better the next time. Do you know how special that is? Jayden admires and looks up to you and I know that sometimes that can be tough, but I know that you realize just how important you are to him. I hope that you both continue to work at being better brothers to each other, even when it’s hard and that you develop a lasting friendship to carry you though the future. I promise that having each other will become even more important as you get older.
I need you to know that you are such an incredible friend, son, nephew, cousin, neighbour and grandson to those who love you. You are caring and thoughtful and you choose great friends who help you make terrific choices! Your ability to make people feel special, to cheer them up and to celebrate their successes is one of the things I love most about you. When you see a friend or family member who’s sad, you know just what to say to turn it around. You have the ability to make us laugh with your silly jokes and to exude joy in everything you do.
I’ll help you protect your sweet, sensitive heart. I know that a broken heart can be tough and I love that you come to me to talk about how you feel. I promise to always be a listening ear when you need one. I will always be honest, even about the tough questions and topics we’ve discussed over the years! I promise to help you through the things that feel impossible to handle and to help you realize that life does go on and you’ll be okay. I hope you realize that one day, someone worthy and extremely special will see the incredible person that you are and treasure that. Just don’t rush. Take your time to enjoy being a kid…I promise it will be over far too soon! And have I mentioned that you are gorgeous? One day you (and all the girls) will figure that out!
You are a worrier just like your mom and I want you to learn, far earlier than I did, that you need to have faith that you have more strength than you know to get through tough situations. Life hasn’t always been easy for our family, but I know that everything we have gone through has taught us all to find strength within us, reach out for help when you need it and that family is forever.
Ty, please know that we will always be here for you. You will always have the first spot in our hearts and we imagine only the best things for you as you get older and go on to do amazing things in your life!
For all these reasons and about a zillion more, we love you and we are so proud of who you are….
Happy Birthday, my Ty Ty.
xo MOMMY
