Kye’s 11th Birthday Letter {From Mommy}
Dear Kye,
I am so thankful for the opportunity to be your mom and love this current phase of life with you!
I know there is a lot of talk about teens and pre-teens and the changes that take place and I will say I saw more of those type things when you were nine than I have while you’ve been ten!
Maybe you’ve just already gone through the moody pre-teen stuff and are already over it 😉 Crossing my fingers on that one!
Truly this last year with you has been so fun.
I LOVE the way your humor has developed as you’ve gotten older.
You joke in a way that is funny to even Daddy and myself but still have those silly little kid moments too.
I love that you have that balance of both and savor those moments when the silly side comes out.
I feel like this was the year we found our groove with you.
You and I have always had a natural bond but as you’ve gotten older it’s been trickier to find ways to stay connected.
I love our nightly talks (and when I die I hope you give your eulogy about how your mama always listened to every detail of every video game you play ha!) but it’s taken effort to find activities that we both enjoy bonding over.
I love that we discovered Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom as it’s made our Disney time together SO fun and has given you a new love at Mommy’s happiest place.
And I love that you still consider Mario Kart cool b/c it’s THE only video game I’m really capable of playing (our one attempt at Minecraft tested your patience ha!).
We enjoy similar foods and especially treats (ice cream, froyo, snowcones…that’s our jam) so mother son date nights are easy for us too!
I love that you and Daddy have also found your ways to really connect together and it’s been so special to see the bond you two share really deepen and evolve as you’ve gotten older.
I know parents tend to worry that the teenage and adult years will lead to distance in their relationships with their kids but, so far, with you the older you’ve gotten the closer Daddy and I both feel with you!
It’s such a big time of transition in your life and we’re honored that you know you can always talk to us and trust us and feel comfortable sharing with us!
It’s made my heart so happy to see you really thriving in school and ENJOYING it.
You’ve made so many friends as a 5th grader and have found your “crew” and are more comfortable with who you are and where you fit in.
You have SO much to offer others and I’m so thankful that you’re finding friends who appreciate your wonderful qualities.
We’ve been giving you a bit more freedom in allowing you to go to the neighborhood playground with friends.
We trust you and know you’ll make good choices and help lead others towards good choices as well.
I think THE proudest of you I’ve ever been to date was the day you came home and told us what some of the kids were partaking in at the park and how your friends told you that you would not want to see what they were watching.
Not only did you immediately take yourself out of the situation but your friends also knew your character and were good friends to give you that advice.
Plus? You came home and told us about it too!
Your friends refer to as “Clean Kye” and not in an ugly or teasing way – and they will tell each other not to say certain things around you.
I LOVE that you are a shining light for Jesus and making those good choices and truly making an impact on others in such a positive way.
I pray that leadership and strong moral compass continues to guide you throughout your life. You will lead many people to the Lord!
This has been SUCH an EPIC year of memory-making together.
Our first solo Disney Day together, first visit to Universal, first visit to Great Wolf Lodge, first visit to Sea World, SO many Disney days, the opening of Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge, Ziplining at Gatorland, your ski trip with Daddy and your trip to Atlanta with me!
This has been a year I never want to forget and so many amazing moments together with you.
I am excited for the year ahead but I also know it’s not going to come close to competing with the amazing adventures we had last year!
You make travel and experiences extra fun and it’s such a blessing that I can just count on you.
You step up and help when needed.
You adapt when plans change.
You are FUN and are so great at making things fun for everyone else too!
You are responsible and it’s such a blessing to be able to trust you the way we do!
It’s also fun to plan with you as you have your own opinions and ideas and it is great to have your perspective on things that we do.
You are such an awesome big brother and have a unique bond with each of your siblings.
You adore having a little brother and are patient with your sisters, at least most of the time.
Tess is your easiest bond but Britt equally adores you – it just takes a little more effort to connect with her and find your common grounds.
I know you often feel like you have added responsibilities on your plate as the oldest and while that’s true I’m always mindful to make sure you have special “biggest kid” privileges too.
You read extra every night and Daddy and I laugh because every night you come out of your room and say “Bathroom!” before you go to bed.
You also are so precious in the way you’ll tell me you read a few minutes longer than you were supposed to.
You are def my rule follower for sure!
Your plans for your future include getting married and havings kids (but probably not four kids because “it’s just too many” ha!) and become President of the United States.
I have no doubt that you’d be awesome in politics.
You LOVE public speaking and any chance to be in front of a group.
You’re also super involved in Student Government and Jr Beta and enjoy those roles!
You’re never shy about sharing your ideas and love leading people in tasks and have a bit of your mama’s love for planning too 😉
Your backup plan is to sell Aflac with Daddy and that wouldn’t surprise me either and I’m sure you’d be an awesome salesman!
Whatever you desire to be, you’ll be awesome. I truly believe you have a special purpose and calling and I cannot wait to see where the Lord leads you.
I just want you to find joy in whatever you do and also to have passion for what you’re focused on in life.
It’s been incredible to see you grow in your love for basketball and it seems like it might be your sport (although you wish you could ski all the time!).
You are a hard worker and take pride in your work and all that you do.
However, you are also pretty hard on yourself.
A “typical firstborn” in that you strive for perfection even though it’s something NONE of us can obtain and you’re easily disappointed in yourself when things don’t go your way.
You’re very competitive and losing is hard for you.
Daddy and I are ALWAYS proud of you.
Even when you’re not perfect. Only Jesus is perfect! And it’s important that you know you WILL make mistakes in life. You WILL lose some time. You WILL fall short of some of the goals you set for yourself.
And that’s OKAY!
It doesn’t change the love we have for you or in any way lessen the incredible person you are.
It doesn’t take away or minimize your talents.
In fact, failure is an opportunity to allow those talents to shine brighter.
We are proud to be your parents NO MATTER WHAT.
And as we navigate these young adult waters together I am hopeful we can help build more of that confidence within you and the ability to let things go a bit more easily too.
Be proud of yourself – you have SO much to be proud of!
God blessed me so much when He gave me you.
You made me a mama and it’s THE best thing to happen to me in my entire life.
I love being your mom.
I am so proud of who you are and will always be here for you and always love you.
You can ALWAYS “lean on me” 😉
I know the years to come are about letting go in many ways…you become older and more independent and our job as parents is to help guide you down this path to the man you will become.
Some moments are sad for me (like when you recently told me you’d like to STOP kissing me on the lips when I tuck you in…I shrugged it off in front of you but WHEW I CRIED a whole lot when I left your room!) but many are wonderful and I’m not longing for the days when you were a baby.
I wouldn’t go back.
I love where we are RIGHT now with you and am excited for the future to come!
I love you so very much my first baby – Happy 11th Birthday!
Love, Mommy
You can look back at past Birthday letters here:
My work has been featured on Love What Matters, Today Parenting and Babywise.Life. I'm also honored to be a member of the Babywise Friendly Blog Network.
You can read more about our family on my About Me page. Also be sure to follow along with me on Instagram, Facebook and Pinterest!
- Effective Parenting Tips to Discipline a 5 Year Old Child - September 24, 2024
- Happy 9th Birthday to My Daughter – Letter to Tess from Mom - August 26, 2024
- The Best Travel High Chair for Baby and Toddler - July 11, 2024
