A few things I don’t want Alice to forget

I always think it’s sad that our children don’t remember much of their first years of life. I like to think that all the rich and wonderful experiences we savour together help to imprint a map in the neurons to guide my children on positive paths in the future.

Right now, as our daughter Sophie starts back at a formal school, after five months of home-schooling, I want to take a moment to write down some of our special highlights over the past months. Sophie, at the age of five (nearly six), may remember some of them, but Alice, at only 20 months, won’t remember much at all, so this post is mostly for Alice (but there’s a lot of memories for Sophie too x).

Dear Alice,

I want you to know that one of the reasons Sophie asked to be home schooled for a while was so she could spend time with you. You are her younger sister and she wanted the opportunity to relish the joy of being an older sister for a change. You see, up until you came along, she’d been the younger sister – a very much loved one of course – but having the opportunity to play and care for you was a rich one for Sophie.

Sophie adores you Alice (as does Charlotte). She has treated you like a same-age peer, involving you in all that she does with great patience and understanding.

She’s played shops with you and pushed dolls around the house in buggies. She’s rolled countless balls of play-dough and read books to you, snuggled up together on your bed. She’s shared hundreds of baths with you and taught you how to blow bubbles in the water. She bounced on the trampoline with you and giggled so much her tummy has hurt!

She’s taught you how to climb and how to jump. She’s watched hours of ‘Play School’ with you, sung countless nursery rhymes to you, listened to dozens of CD’s in the car, and come along to ‘Baby music time’ at the library.

She’s shared her stickers and ink stamps with generosity and allowed you to scribble on her writing, all the while encouraging you to make your mark.

Sophie has even baked with you, not minding that you shower her in flour and let you have a turn of stirring the mixture – even though it’s a dangerously messy business!

She’s painted with you (getting very messy in the process).

She’s been quiet when you’ve needed a nap (and when Mummy has needed a rest too!).

She’s been understanding when we’ve had to leave places early because you’ve needed to come home for a rest.

Sophie loves and adores you Alice, as do we all. You are so fortunate to have such caring, loving sisters.

I know you miss both Sophie and Charlotte when they are at school, but you also enjoy exploring the world at your own pace too. Thankfully there’s a whole lot of loving and time together at the weekends and after school. Right now, we have only seven more weeks of the school year before your sisters are home for their long summer break. It’s going to be lots of fun, but crazy too, so lets enjoy the peace and relative calm till then!

With love from your Mummy x