#29DaysofAwareness February 24th

#29DaysofAwareness

February 24, 2016

Dear Future Classmate of Gellibean,

Hey kiddo.

You don’t know me yet, but if I am lucky and you’re one of Gelli’s classmates, we will get to know each other.

You can call me Tita Mish.

If you and Gellibean become classmates, then I will ask your mom if you can come over one day for a playdate. I will prepare healthy snacks for you and Gelli to enjoy. We can bake cookies together, and you can both swim in the pool with some floaties.

I’ll have towels ready for both of you, so that you don’t get cold after you get out of the water.

I will encourage Gelli to use her words when you play together. I will stay near by, in case you don’t understand everything she says. But, I think, that in time, you will be able to understand her, if you play with her long enough.

I want to tell you a little bit more about Gelli. 

She’s one of my favorite girls. She’s funny and mischievous. She’s a jokster with a contagious laugh.

She’s very intuitive. She can tell when you’re feeling bad, and she will be the first one to ask if you are ok. If you are not ok, she will give you a hug.

Her hugs are the best. They always make ME feel better.

She’s got an older sister and two older brothers. This is most definitely a good thing. She will always have someone to look after her, and someone to teach her right from wrong, BUT because she has two older brothers, she’s a bit of a rough houser…this means that she might not realize when she’s playing a little too roughly.

She loves pretend play. She likes cooking and baking in her kitchen. She puts her apron on, and can cook up a mean meal for the two of you to share. And she’s getting really good at sharing!

PROMISE!

She loves High 5. She likes to sing and dance. And she’s getting pretty good at singing her nursery rhymes, now too.

She loves blowing bubbles, and running really fast.

She knows how to navigate all the apps on my iPhone, and she will share the screen if you sit really close…but not too close-because then she will say you are squishing her.

She likes to eat by herself, but if your food looks better (and doesn’t have any veggies in it) she might ask you to share. She’s good at sharing her veggies…but not so good at sharing her cookies.

She might remind you to pray before you eat. Or in the middle of eating. Or even at the end of eating…but that’s only because she knows that we should Thank God every chance we get.

It’s ok.

I usually just go with it. Sometimes, we might say grace three times in a meal. One can never be too thankful, right?

But, I suppose why I’m writing to you today, is to thank YOU. I want to thank you for being Gelli’s friend. 

Because we all need a friend…

And as Gelli gets older, I know I won’t always be able to schedule her playdates for her, because there comes a certain time when kids pick their own friends that they like to hang out with. That usually happens around 13 or 14 years…sometimes even earlier.

When that day comes, I hope you remember Gelli, and the fun you guys had when you were much smaller…because she will still be the same sweet girl with the same contagious laugh and the same bright smile…that can light up any room.

And she will still be a great FRIEND…

With Love, 

Tita Mish

If you would like to learn more about Best Buddies and how you can promote INCLUSION through one to one friendship click here.