to my daughter on her eighth birthday

Holdy,

Hey, girl, hey – you’re eight years old today. Eight going on 16, more like.

This year, you thrived in second grade. Your teachers were Mrs. Meyers and Mrs. Wetcher. I was honored to attend your “Hero Day” ceremony, even though I was your third choice after Lizzo and Hillary Clinton.

You made lots of great friends this year, like J’Vienda, Michael, Eden and, your BFF, Gervy.

You found an activity you really enjoyed: cheerleading for the Boys’ Club Raiders. We love watching you have fun out on the field, tumbling, jumping and dancing. Now, we’ll just have to actually teach you the rules of football.

Let’s be real, you’re also kind of a weird kid. You’re into spooky, strange stuff. This year for Halloween, you went as a haunted Annabelle doll (despite never having seen the movie).

You and your brother have also become obsessed with the Titanic, which is 100% my fault. You both made me custom clay Titanic models for Mother’s Day.

Your fashion continues to slay, of course.

This year for Christmas you got an iPod Touch (aka your phone) and life has never been the same.

You’ve become particularly fond of TikTok.

You’ve also become quite the philanthropist and community organizer. In the past year, you’ve raised about $25,000 (so far!) to build a dog park in our city.

You’re a lover of all animals. For the past few months, you’ve been bugging us to get you pet rats, so we got you these baby brothers as an early birthday gift.

You ended up naming them Minnie and Spider-Rat.

You also requested makeup and high heels for your birthday (sigh).

The end of the school year was a little odd, given that we were in quarantine for the last three months. But we found ways to spend the time and to engage in your favorite subject: art.

You’re a silly, sassy, strong-willed, farty, whip-smart little girl who loves to create, sing and dance. You have a huge heart and I’m proud to say you’ve become a #BlackLivesMatter activist, attending two protests with me (so far!) and holding your fist high with pride.

I can’t wait to watch you grow into a strong young woman who fights for what you believe in (we can slow it down a bit on the teenage attitude, however).

Happy Birthday and Happy Summer, Little Turd!