Dear Marshall,
Your father and I try to offer you choices as often as possible. “These pants or those pants?” “Juice or milk?” “Blue Puppy or Barney?” We think that even at your age you should be allowed to have a small amount of control over your own life. Plus, if you’re going to become an independent person, you need to learn to make decisions.
At first you would just echo one of the given options, not realizing that we were actually allowing you to choose. Now it seems like you’re finally getting the hang of it. One night before putting you to bed, I turned on your radio. It was set to play the sound of a babbling brook. I asked, “Marshall, do you want your radio on or not?” You replied, “No water.” So I turned it off, and you smiled, happy to be able to control that one little thing. Since then you won’t allow the radio to be on at night. You keep saying “No water!” until we turn it off. You have decided that’s the way you want it.
I hope life will always bless you with such easy decisions and that you will always be so happy with your choices.
Love,
Mom