Dear Children,
Sometimes you can be very acquisitive children. Livia, for example, has asked me a couple of times if she can have the house when I die. Over my dead body! Ha-ha.
But seriously, you want a lot of my stuff. I often give you what you ask for, too, because life is easier that way. You’ve taken my stuffed animals (Liony, Crocky, Ellie, Booby Bird, Mama Swoop, Baby Swoop, and Do-Re-Mi) on a semi-permanent basis. You’ve taken most of my notebooks, sticky notes, and graph paper, too.
Like little hoarders-in-training (or maybe cats?), you also want to keep and play with things that ought to go into the recycling, such as cardboard and wrapping paper scraps. Hardly a day seems to go by without one of you asking, “Can I have this box?” You also like disposable plastic cups. You even talked me into buying a package of them just for you. You build pyramids with them.
One of the things you do with the paper you acquire is to write notes. Marshall particularly likes to do this. He leaves sticky-note messages on the wall, such as “This morning Livia was meen 4/2/16.” I gave a binder of loose-leaf paper to him, and the first thing he did was take out a page and write a note to Livia. The note said, “I have a bineder now.” You also make signs saying what we can and can’t do around the house. For a while Daddy was banned from doing almost everything. There’s still a sign on our upstairs bathroom that says, “Daddy can’t yoos baffroom!!!!!” Poor Daddy.
I don’t want to make it sound like you’re selfish and greedy, because you’re not (at least not unusually so). I occasionally have to lecture you about sharing and thankfulness. But you both have the spirit of kindness and generosity in you. Sure, you take my animals, but then you bring some back or give me some of yours, because you don’t want me to be sad. You offer to help me around the house by washing the counters and putting away your laundry, often without my even having to ask. Marshall shares his candy with me. Livia shares her art supplies when we color together, and she teaches me how to play games on her tablet.
You even asked what you could do to make my birthday special. How sweet! I said that I wanted you to be extra nice and quiet. Livia immediately started listing the many other ways in which she could behave. Then I added, “And you have to be nice to each other.” She replied, “Um, that could be difficult.”
Well, at least you asked.
Love,
Mom