you are so lovely. the way you move, talk to others, take care of your father and your friends, the way you plan your life, it is all so full of elegance. you may ask, elegance? yes exactly elegance. your thoughtfulness and kinderness continues to amaze me. i hope one day all the wisdom that you have accumulated turns out to protect you. to save you from major heart breaks that are inevitable, jealous friends, loveless marriage. you truly were the best baby ever. you came with to my classes; stayed up with me into the crazy hours of morning, while i studied; laid next to me as i cried exhausted; never complained when i made christmas decorations from a newspaper and had nothing under the tree; i have never treated you like a little kid, your opinions have always been asked for, in many ways you've had to grow up much faster than many of your peers. now at 14, as you roll your eyes at me and most of the time 'bark' at me rather than talk, as you only want to hang out with your dad, as you make me run around and forget to say please or thank you, as you have stopped saying 'i love you' to me, i will not hold any of this against you. because when i look at you, i see an amazing beautiful thoughtful and intelligent young woman in front of me. i see a young woman who is trying so hard to break away from her mother who has been such a dominant and constant figure, whom you are always compared to. you are constantly told that you look just like me, you sound just like me, you act just like me. well, what i see is a young woman who is an individual, who has an identity that is uniquely her. i can only hold my breath thinking of what you will do, where you will go. as for me, you have brought me fulfillment in my life that i didn't know existed. nothing would have been the same without you in my life. i would have never known how much love i am capable of. thank you.
