Today, I came across this letter on my computer. When it was written, my daughter was in 3rd grade. If you’re a parent, you may be familiar with the Star Student. Every week, if you were the chosen one, your parents were asked to write a letter about you that would be read to the entire class. This is the letter I wrote for Ella.
May 4, 2016
Dear Mrs. Shaw’s Class,
Ella Jones was born on a very hot August day in Los Angeles, California. She moved to Arizona when she was one and a half years old. She loves to go to new places and explore new things, but at the same time, she likes to have her own time to relax by herself. She has been to many different places, but her favorites are San Diego, and Hawaii.
In her spare time, she likes to play with Shopkins, Barbie’s, and her American Girl doll, MaryEllen. She loves to watch movies at the movie theatre and at home. Right now, she loves “Matilda,” “The Wizard of Oz,” “The Goonies,” and “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” as well as all of the Star Wars movies. She enjoys watching all different types of movies!
She also loves to watch TV. Her favorite shows are “Lizzie Maguire,” “Girl Meets World,” “Dancing with the Stars,” and “Full House.” She enjoys bike rides after dinner around the pond, doing cartwheels, and playing with her friends. She is also a Girl Scout, and she likes cheerleading, swimming and gymnastics.
She is very funny and makes us laugh all the time! She is an only child, so she gets a lot of attention, which is probably why she likes to go relax by herself sometimes. She has a cat named Violet that she got for her 5th birthday. She and Violet can be frenemies most of the time.
Ella has one of the kindest hearts. She likes to follow the rules and she loves to laugh! She can be shy at times, but if you are friends with her, you are very lucky because she is a very good friend. She is also one of the bravest girls we know and we are very proud she is our daughter.
We hope you enjoy spending your day with Ella as much as we do!
Sincerely,
Ella’s Parents
Today, I came across this letter on my computer. When it was written, my daughter was in 3rd grade. If you’re a parent, you may be familiar with the Star Student. Every week, if you were the chosen one, your parents were asked to write a letter about you that would be read to the entire class. This is the letter I wrote for Ella.
It would be an understatement to say her 3rd grade year was awful for all of us. Her parents had been separated for six months, and her dad had just moved out of the house three months prior. Let me tell you, nothing says “absolute misery” like living with your estranged spouse under the same roof for three months.
Reading this letter makes me feel a little sad remembering that time, but it is also a good reminder of how far she and I have come. Her parents got divorced, we sold our house in Arizona, and Ella and I moved to Colorado last summer. She doesn’t get shuffled between houses every other weekend anymore, she gets shuffled between states; and she’s totally fine with it.
Ella started a new elementary school in the Fall and fits in seamlessly with her class. Her grades improved, her attitude improved and overall, there was a huge and very visible weight lifted from her shoulders. There are still a lot of changes that will be taking place – she starts middle school next year, I need to get settled into a full-time job, and we have at least one more move ahead of us.
But, we made it. We came through on the other side. We’re holding on tight, muddling through, one day at a time.
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