To my daughter as she graduates from primary school
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HerCanberra CEO Amanda Whitley pens a heartfelt letter to her daughter as she graduates from primary school.
Oh my baby girl, where have the years gone? In reality, you haven’t been a baby for quite a while; you now wear my shoes (literally) and are *thisclose* to being my height.
It seems like yesterday and forever ago that I first held you in my arms and breathed you in.
So many milestones have passed: your first smile, initial tentative steps; first days at childcare, preschool and Kindergarten. And now we’re coming to the end of the most significant period of your life so far.
Your long, lean limbs and ever-pristine dancer’s bun are a far cry from the chubby pigtailed girl I led through the gates on your first day of primary school, but I still sometimes do a double-take when I see you—somehow surprised to see a young woman instead of a toddler.
I am so proud of the empathetic, caring and confident person you’re growing into. This year you have learnt resilience, the benefits that come from hard work, and how to grow your own social network outside the school friends you’ve known for so long. I’ve seen you loosen your grip on long-held friendships as you’ve grown in different directions, resisting the urge to desperately hold on, accepting the evolution of your relationships. I’ve watched as you’ve stood up publicly for classmates too timid to do it themselves because you knew it was the right thing to do.
You’ve kicked some big personal goals this year, and you’ve been humbled by the acknowledgement of your peers and teachers. Make sure you stay that way…take some advice from your mum and put one of her favourite sayings into practice: “leave your ego at the door”. Because it doesn’t matter how good you are, or how many times you hear it, it’s how you treat people that matters. Kindness and humility will be remembered far longer than brilliance.
You’ve taken your first steps out from under my protective wing, and you’re doing just fine. Sometimes your fearlessness staggers me—things that would have stopped me in my tracks at your age seem mere speedbumps to you. But—perhaps surprisingly—I don’t feel a sense of grief at my little girl growing up; instead, I am filled with pride to see the amazing woman you’re becoming.
There’s no official guidebook for parenting. You just do what feels right and hope for the best. You try to balance setting boundaries with providing enough freedom for your children to discover life—and all its rights, wrongs and shades of grey—for themselves. I think your dad and I have done pretty darn good.
Today you will stand up in front of your school community and speak on behalf of your fellow students as you bid farewell to the life that’s become so safe and familiar to you. So, as you take this big step into adulthood, know this: this next chapter isn’t always going to be sunshine and lollipops. There will be many hard times ahead—high school is a complex time full of change and challenges. But it’s also a time of discovery and opportunity.
Embrace what lies ahead and never forget who you are—because you are someone very special.
I love you.
Mummy x
p.s. I apologise in advance if I’m ‘that’ mother sobbing uncontrollably during your graduation ceremony.
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