The second special June birthday

On the 18th of this month, Hannah, my firstborn, turned seven. When she was born, 11 weeks premature and weighing only 1120 grams, it was hard to imagine what she'd be like at one, never mind seven!! It was a scary time but here she is, growing up and so smart and funny she leaves me for dead. But there's something else about Hannah, she is the singularly most forgiving child I've ever met. Yesterday I had to get into work early, it was a crazy, stressful morning trying to get myself and the kids ready. I finally got her and I into the car and I headed off to drop her at school. It was only then I found out that she had a shared lunch at school that day!!!! I shamefully admit now to being snappy and cross. She just sat quietly while I ranted about needing to know these things in advance and how stopping at the supermarket now was going to make me late. A few minutes later I apologised for my outburst. Her response? 'It's ok Mummy, if sometimes I have to be spoken to'. Ok, just tear out my heart why don't you? On Wednesday I forgot to pack her a sandwich (hey, it's been a hectic week) she had a lunch box full of snacks but no sandwich, again I apologised. She said 'it's ok, I ate my snacks and had a cup of milo'. No matter what wrongs I do, what I forget or what she has to tolerate, she just forgives.

If it's true that every person in our lives has a lesson to teach us then I know what hers is for me, and trust me, I really need to learn that lesson from this child.

Let's move on now from my parenting misdemenours. When we asked Hannah what she wanted for her birthday this year she replied 'stickers'. Hmmm, 'stickers eh?' I thought to myself, 'that's easy'. Then she added that she also wanted a USB drive. How the world is changing when my seven year old daughter wants a USB drive for her birthday. Her Aunty asked if she needed that because she has lots of files. The answer to that would be 'yes'. So she got her USB drive, a load of stickers, some very trendy boots from her Grandparents and some DVDs and books. She was happy. And when she's happy, so am I.

Happy SEVEN beautiful girl.