I do not know where to start, but I do have a lot to tell you. Today we turn a year older and I thought I would write this letter to you, just to tell you about our life, our achievements, our milestones and our failures. Much of it you will not quite understand but someday I know you will. 

It has been quite a rollercoaster of 27 years. We have fallen, felt like staying down, but remembered why we keep fighting and decided to get back up and keep moving. But before I get to all that, I have something that I need to tell you. 5 days from today, you will be invited to go play with your friends. The idea will be seem like a good one but I beg you, don’t. Not before you finish your homework, because you will get a whooping that you will never forget. I still haven’t and that is why I am telling you, don’t. That mistake will not sit well with dad and mum and you will pay for it dearly. 

Now, on to the story of life. I won’t lie to you and tell you that growing up is fun. I know you want to grow up so fast, you want to be independent, you want to live your life without anyone telling you what to do. The fact is that growing up is a scam. It is not as easy as you see it or hear. Take it from me, I wish we could stay 5 forever. 

But since growing up is inevitable, here is my advice. Listen to dad and mum and honor them. Everything they tell you is for your own good. I wish I listened to them as much, because now I understand why they told me the things that they did. Choose your friends wisely because some will mislead you and you will live to regret it. Work smart and fight for yourself because you will need to be strong for all that is to come.

So much is happening today that is contributing to life being hard and if you are not strong enough, you will find yourself in a sticky situation. The economy, our leaders and global pandemics are just but a few examples. You will not have an easy time growing up and being the only girl in the family. You will have to take care of yourself and everyone, but the best thing is that you will love and enjoy it. 

All this will benefit you, because you will have an easy time looking after your beautiful baby girl. Yes, a baby girl. She is the most precious thing ever and she will bring so much joy. You will have everything you’ve ever dreamt of but you need to work hard and smart for it. Also, don’t forget to enjoy your childhood. Be happy, make smart choices, ask for help where you can’t do it yourself and listen to dad and mum. They are older and thus wiser. 

I’ll leave you with a quote and I hope that you live by it because no matter how many times you don’t succeed, it is best to keep going. 

I haven’t failed, I’ve just found 10,000 ways that won’t work – Thomas Edison