It just took you 10 years to be this awesome!

Shreya,

I had no clue how intoxicating being a mother - being your mother - would be.

My love for you is fierce. Most parents’ love is.

But there’s more than love here.

I enjoy you —I enjoy being with you so much in the uneventful day-to-day things. I love our seemingly mundane moments: our walk-the-talk session, our infrequent morning walks, Friday baking spee, Netflix together, new books, our girls day-out, milestones, tents in the balcony, mug cakes, jokes, spa-day at home, bubble bath, foot-spa and the list is endless.

You and me.

The night before your 10th when I kissed you goodnight and said I love you, you answered with “I think I love you more”. Those words almost took my breath away. 

Oh, Shreya. If only you knew...

I pulled you close to me, happy you still let me hug you like that, and wished I could explain the love I have for you.

I want you to know how lucky I feel to be your mom. My Thakur gave me the perfect daughter and I thank Him every single day. 

You’re 10 now! I know how excited you are to be in double digits, but remember to never rush growing up. Enjoy and savor your childhood. You only get to do it once, after all.

The first decade of your life was major, and this next decade will be too. From age 10 to age 20, you will evolve from childhood to womanhood. It’s crazy and hard to fathom that these changes are even normal, because in my eyes you will always be the little girl with curly hair and rosy cheeks.

While you enter the next decade of your life, here are some of the things I would like you to know:

1. It’s okay to grow up at your own pace. It’s good to take your time and do what’s right for you. Our world pushes girls to the fast track. It wants you to paint your face with makeup, dress in revealing clothes, and aim to look 20 when you’re really 13. I hope you trust your instincts and remember that the best part of your appearance – the one that ultimately sets you apart – is the light that shines from within. It costs nothing, yet it’s worth everything. 

2. Eye for a larger world beyond your immediate vision. I hope you look for adventure and new horizons. Try new things. Do things that may seem hard. And in that process you will grow in ways you didn’t even know were possible.

3. Have curiosity about the world and all that is in it. Ask good questions, and don’t be satisfied with easy answers. Travel. Exercise. Read. Bake. Explore. Try. You will fail, and then you will try again. Acquire knowledge, but don’t stop there. Pray. Nurture your faith, and pray more.

4. Every choice has a consequence, and the choices you make today impact the opportunities you’ll have tomorrow. While making positive choices will open doors down the road, making negative choices will close doors. Whatever choices you make, be prepared to live with them.

5. Be kind to everyone, but distance yourself from negativity. Trust your gut instincts. I wish for you deep friendships, loving relationships, and genuine community. We need one another. But also remember not everyone deserves a voice in your life. Not everyone has opinions that are worth your time and attention.

6. There’s no such thing as a perfect person. While you should have standards for the people you allow in your innermost circle, you should also leave room for grace and forgiveness. All of us make mistakes and occasionally hurt the people we love. Don’t give up on a genuine friend easily. They are hard to find.

7. Be your brother's keeper. There may be no other relationship which effects us more profoundly - that is closer, finer, harder, sweeter, happier, sadder than relationship with the sibling. I am no expert in telling you about it but I already see a power in the bond you share with Soham. No one has as much impact on him than you have and you know it. Nurture this bond responsibly. You both will have each other much longer than you have both of us. Always keep him protected. Always.

8. The next 10 years are going to be hard. It seems like just the blink of an eye that ten years have gone by. And I’m sure when you turn 20 I will be looking back and saying the same thing. The next ten years won’t be as easy as your first, though. They will take you into high school and off to college. You will mature through adolescents. You will learn to drive a car, and make decisions independently. You will make friends and lose friends and there will be tears along the way. You will face challenges that at ten years old, you don’t even know exist.

9. You are strong. I have seen your strength. And it amazes me every time. Never ever lose that. Don’t ever let anyone take that away from you. As you get older, it will be tempting to try and fit in. Don’t do it. You are perfect, just as you are and if someone doesn’t understand that then they are not worth your time. You are loved immensely. And remember there are so many people in this world who love you. So very many. And will always do, no matter what.

10. You will always be my child. Always and forever. 

As much as your Papa and I love you, Thakur loves you even more. So trust Him with all your heart, and know that He is always there to help. Whatever is waiting on the other side of 10, we’ll discover it together. We’ll celebrate, cry, and share it together. Remember that you have two of the biggest cheerleaders in the world ready to pick you up when you fall and lead the rally when you succeed.

Happy 10th birthday, my little ray of sunshine. And thank you for your light. You’re a joy to know, a joy to raise, a joy to call my own. And for this I’m so very, very grateful.

Have a beautiful decade ahead.

Love,

Mimme