25 things I want Caitie to know

 Caitie,


1. To quote Dr. Seuss “Today you are You, that is truer than true. There is no one alive who is Youer than You.”  The fact that you are you is one of the most special things about you. Don't ever let anyone take that away.

2.  Don't grow up too fast. I am not sure when 12 became the new 17 but enjoy yourself and have fun. There is no reason to rush into all that drama.

3. Sometimes people aren't who you thought they were. It happens. They will let you down sometimes. It hurts. It sucks. It will be okay.

4. Choose your friends wisely. Right or wrong, fair or not... people will judge you based on the company you keep.

5. The clothes you choose to wear make a statement. Make sure you mean what they are saying.

6. Always create. You have a creative spirit that makes me smile. Don't ever let any person's criticisms cause you to stop being artistic.

7. Take care of yourself. You need to eat good foods, sleep at night, and be active. Physically, mentally, spiritually it all matters.

8. Don't let any boy define who you are. You do not belong to any person. You are a child of God and you belong to Him.

9. Read! Always Read!

10. The day will come when you will love all that crazy curly hair.

11. Don't ever let the fact that you are a girl stop you from doing whatever you want to do. You can do anything. I know people are supposed to tell their kids that but I really mean it. You have the talent, the intelligence and the fortitude to do ANYTHING.

12. Go places! See things! There is a whole lot of world out there to experience. There is nothing wrong with Virginia or Ohio but there is also Seattle Washington, Denver Colorado, Dallas Texas, Paris France and of course London England.

13. Breathe! In and out slowly and deeply. When you are stressed breathe. When you are angry breathe. When it feels like the world is crashing in Breathe! It seems crazy but really it is calming. It allows your body to respond appropriately to the situation. So stop and breathe!

14. Don't use prayer as a last resort. It should be the first thing you do not the last.

15. Choose to be grateful. Choosing to be grateful can truly change your life. Even when things are going wrong if you stop and look there is so much to be grateful for.

16. Music sets the tone for your day. It truly honestly does. The kind of music you choose to listen to has a great impact on your mood. Choose wisely.

17. Sometimes you just have a bad day but remember "It is a bad day not a bad life."

18. The one time I was the most wrong in my whole life is when I said I only wanted one child. I am so grateful every single day that Dad wanted two. My life wouldn't be half as wonderful if you weren't part of it.

19. You are going to mess up. We all do. Learn from it. Move on and forgive yourself. Carrying around the weight of all the times you messed up will keep you from being your best.

20. Smart is the new cool. Never ever be ashamed of the fact that you are smart. Go ahead be good at Math and Science. There is nothing wrong with being smart.

21. Mean is never okay. Making others feel small is never the way to feel bigger. Treat other people the way you would want to be treated.

22. When people do things you don't understand remember that we all have a story and you might not know theirs.  You never know what people are carrying around with them. Parents who don't care, parents who drink too much. Mom's with too many boyfriends, Dad's who are in jail. Physical abuse, emotional abuse. Family members who are sick or who have died. Remember that decisions they make are about them not about you and cut them some slack.

23. Drugs are bad. Simply enough they destroy lives and ruin futures. Just don't.

24. Never ever ever take a picture (or allow a picture to be taken) of yourself that you don't want everyone to see. Once things are out there in cyberland via text message, email, or on the web it can never be completely erased.

25. No matter what happens. No matter how scared or embarrassed you are. No matter how bad you mess up or what you think we will think ... you can ALWAYS ALWAYS come home.


Love,

Mom