Sweet Sophia

Every time I remember that Sophia is 6 1/2 I stop short.  I look at Riley and vividly remember her at his age.  I look at Haddie and the same thing happens.  There are times I miss Sophia being those ages, but mostly I am LOVING this stage.  Early school-age is so fun.  Not only is Sophia full of energy, but she is bursting with creativity, imagination and playfulness.  She loves to learn, she loves to play, she loves to create, she loves to be active and she also loves videos and computer games. She is my cuddle-bug.  If I even suggest skipping bedtime cuddles she is reduced to a pile of sincere sobs.  She also loves becoming more independent.  It is always a treat for her to be able to prepare some sort of food or do some sort of cleaning project (not normal cleaning, mind you, like picking up toys, but "fun" cleaning, like mopping or cleaning windows).  

Some recent things I don't want to forget...

Jamie was out of town last week for a bit and when he returned she wrote him a welcome home card.  She drew a stamp on the envelope and drew a limo inside the card.  She went on to explain that she wants to go on a daddy-daughter date to this fun salon for little girls, that has a pink limo for birthday parties!

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As Jamie was leaving for work Monday morning she tucked her pink purse, full of change, into his work bag.  She said to me, "I know it's not much, but I thought it could help."  

I was the recipient of a card today!  Sophia was acting very mysterious and asking if we had any stamps.  I told her, no, we didn't.  I asked who she wanted to mail a letter to and she refused to tell me!  I resisted the urge to "make" her tell me, as I'm learning that as Sophia gets older it's important to allow her times of secrecy and privacy.  I knew this was a safe secret she could keep, so I let her keep it.

Eventually she asked me to write our address down for her.  I did and off she went to finish her card.

It was for me.  :)  The envelope was addressed perfectly.  And the card was so sweet.

I especially love the "eye" "heart" "u."  I used to always write "I love you" like that and it's fun to see that she's doing that now.

Parenting changes as your child grows.  Their needs become different and their boundaries widen and trust between parent and child become SO important.  Not only is she learning how important it is to preserve my trust in her by making good choices and never lying to me, but I have to be so careful to preserve her trust in me by doing, and meaning, what I say.

Sometimes I feel like I am learning how to be a parent all over again, as this stage seems so different in many regards than the infant, toddler and preschool years.  But, having a kid like Sophia who loves big and plays hard makes it all worth it!