I See Me in You

Your query of "do you like it" that accompanies every drawing tugs at my heartstrings. I see little me, aching to be loved, to be accepted, to be cherished.

I can't understand how you cannot know, both implicitly and explicitly, how loved and cherished and talented and skilled and humorous and beautiful you are.

Everyone in your family adores you and gives you daily praise and encouragement. You need never ask for reinforcement.

My mother told me, when I was in my thirties, "you always needed lots of praise and that just wasn't my way, so I didn't give it to you." My little darling, I didn't get what you're asking for. But you get it constantly. I have a hard time understanding why you need to ask. That's why I tell you you need to have more self confidence.

You dance. You sing. You flit. You float. You smile and flirt and tease and do everything little girls teach themselves how to do. You do everything masterfully. You will be more amazing with each passing year. You are so lucky to have the parents you have, who love you beyond measure and give of themselves to you minute by minute.

I guess I'm being ridiculous to tell a five-year-old to have self-confidence. If you're asking for praise and reinforcement, there must be something inside you that needs it. There must be some little well inside you that hasn't yet been filled.

So I'll try to remember what it was like to have people turn their backs when little me asked for praise, and I'll try to praise little you even before you ask so that someday all your wells will be filled up and you'll know to your core how wonderful you are. I hope that will help you have the self-confidence to make the wise choices necessary to get through life. Maybe you'll even be able to have fewer marriages than your grandma did.

Please keep dancing!