A Happy Childhood

My Fairy Godmother, The Little Green Elf, New Kids on the Block birthday song, New Year’s “shows”. These are just a few of the things I remember when I was little. I had a happy childhood.

Every year on my birthday, one of my mom’s friends would dress up as our “fairy Godmother”, walk across the street to our house at the crack of dawn and sprinkle glitter on our faces to wish us a happy birthday. It was magical and at night we would look up at the stars and pick the brightest one because that’s where she lived.

There was a little green elf that only my mom (of course) could see that would eat all our food if we didn’t. For some reason, the little green elf liked mostly vegetables (go figure). It made dinner just a little more fun.

My sisters and I would rehearse songs that we would perform for family and friends every year for New Years Eve. It was so much fun and looked forward to it every year.

I recently read an article on Scary Mommy that struck me so much it brought tears to my eyes as I rocked my little one to sleep the other night. She talked about being an author to this particular part of her child’s life (read it here, it’s a good one).

Since Olivia will never remember this part of her life, it’s my job to mold it into one where she is happy. The giggles, new discoveries, and all the “firsts” are things that I will remember. As she gets older, I want her to look back at these moments and smile.

My parents went above and beyond to give us a happy childhood. They didn’t have to, but they did. Sure there were ups and downs, tantrums, unfair situations and your normal spread of growing pains, but when I remember my childhood, there is one word that stands out:

Happiness.