Dear Rhys

Dear Rhys,

Thank you for the birth announcement, I'm so happy to know you arrived safely. Absent the (questionable) advantage of verbal communication skills or a proper introduction, you have already made me smile with your sweet little photo. Thank you for that.

Because my "babies" came to me as walking, talking older children who could tell me exactly what they thought from the moment we met (and boy, did they...) I am somewhat enchanted by & fearful of the newness of babies. You all have such a magical quality, what with your ability to render intelligent adults speechless with one sweet little sigh, or hold an entire household hostage for days at a time while you voice your displeasure in any given situation.

I wanted to let you know something pretty magical about your parents. While it seems to me, as a bystander to biological parenting from birth, that it might be easy for parents to be lulled into the likely instinctual urge to try to shape children into what they want them to become, you were born into something exceptionally rare that in my mind surpasses even parental love.

True acceptance.

While I assume your parents have hopes & dreams for you, I have a very strong sense that their truest desire is to provide a safe, loving, supportive & encouraging environment in which you can grow to be, well... you. Not the you that society expects you to be based on who your parents are or that you were born in the South or that you are part of whatever the generation of this time period will be referred to in a decade or two. We all can't wait for you to show us who YOU are.

So welcome to the world, wee little fellow. I am genuinely grateful for the opportunity to watch you become whomever it is you will be. May you always know that even before your sweet little name passed from your mother's lips to your father's ears, you were not only loved beyond measure but also genuinely truly accepted. And that is magical indeed.