Open Letter Week - Bravest Kid I know

This week I am posting an open letter a day. Feel free to write your own and let me know about it.

Dear Bravest Kid I Know (BKIK),

In January after the holidays my sons told me about how you got an American Girl doll for Christmas. You were bringing it in every day to play with girls and their dolls.

You were in my math group a few weeks ago when I volunteered in the classroom. You were sporting dark pink chipped nail polish which sparkled in the sun as you pointed out a solution to a math problem.

That afternoon I was driving home my sons and a friend of theirs. I was trying to get a handle on how many kids were in each class. One son matter-of-factly explained he had 10 boys and 8 girls in his class. The other son and his friend started out this way:

"Some days we have 11 boys and 7 girls. Other days we have 10 boys and 8 girls. It all depends on what Jami* is that day."

*not your real name, BKIK

They both said it in the same matter-of-fact tone as my other son talked about his class. They presented it as a statement of fact, not something weird or something to laugh at. I couldn't have been more proud of all three of those boys. But most importantly I couldn't have been more proud of you.

I got a chance to commend your teacher about creating a class in which kids can be kids and not have to "fit" into some prescribed image. She commented that really it was a tribute to your second grade classmates for excepting you as you.

During Friday's Valentine's Day party you were wearing a pretty fashionable pair of Ugg boots with jeans, a t-shirt and your short cropped hair. And you just smiled and laughed with all your classmates. You are you. And I think you are just awesome.

Sincerely,
SMID