loving all of you

I love all of you. Everything about you. Everything you are and will be. I love the tender moments of kisses and hugs, and the fierce moments, and the funny moments. I love you when you help your sister when she falls down and I love you when you knock her down from time to time. I love the way you recall moments and memories from over a year ago. And the way you have a questions about every part of your day. I love the way you share your things with perfect strangers at the park, genuinely care about people when they seem hurt, stop in the middle of playing to run over and bombard me with love, and I love the way your pure happiness can change to rage in one moment's time for no other reason than that is what you want to do. Because that is what people do. They love the entire person.

And you. I love your wispy hair, your goofy smile, and your incredibly verbal mind. I love the way you speak your mind, bite when you are mad, and hug and kiss all day long. I love the way you sing in the car, when falling asleep and throughout the day. I love the way you speak your mind to everyone and hope that you will always question authority and give your two cents. I love to hear you say, "Charwee" I love the way you love your grandparents and talk a mile a minute to those closest to you, yet are shy around those you don't know as well. I love the way you ask about Lea and Sierra daily. I love all of you. The fiesty, fiery, spunky, brat. And the sweet, innocent, curious cat.

Because that is what people should do. They should love, accept, support, and understand the entire person.

And you, I am sorry that you at such a young tender age you had to experience that not ALL people will love ALL of you. maybe you don't make those connections yet. But one day you will, and hopefully that will not stop you from loving and accepting every part of who you are, including the parts you wish to change.

Your hard moments, hard days, hard phases make me appreciate you as a whole complex being, with emotions, struggles, successes, questions, fears, and excitement for all things.

When you go through these harder moments the easiest path is to accept them and love you that much more, so that you know that I love all of you, and that you are safe to be WHO YOU ARE with me.

And it is not just you two that I love this way. It is all the children in my life. Family, friends, students I work with. It is our responsibility as adults to be your advocate, your mentor, your friend, and your support. Unconditional love, right?

If everyone loved and accepted and supported all children this way, wouldn't the world be a better place?