Dear Little Prince,
I called you the other day as I came out of the mountains… Well, in truth, I called the Queen but you are ever present at her side and you took control of the phone. And, here’s the thing, you took control of the phone. You talked to me. I asked about your day and you answered. You asked what I was doing and I answered. For several minutes we exchanged thoughts transformed into words in a coherent dialogue. My heart swelled with pride: for the person you have already grown into and the person you are going to be in a month, a season, a year…
Sometimes I steal sideways glances while you whirl by me in your tornado spin of energy, both creating and destroying simultaneously as you explore the ever expanding possibilities of imaginative play with anything and everything that falls along your path. The hot pad turned into a frisbee. A washcloth turned into a pizza. All things turned into trains. And I wonder how you can possibly be the same person I used to cradle protectively against me with one arm. And I wonder how our house will survive you. And I wonder…
I have to thank you for allowing me to glimpse the world as you see it, as you make it, as you want it to be. I have the benefit of my writing to create new worlds and chronicle the exploits of my imagination, but I often can’t see those worlds come to life. When I’m playing with you, I know you can see everything and that creative certainty helps me see as well. See and remember and believe. I can’t fully explain how important that is to me…
So, thank you. Thank you for your play. Thank you for your wide-eyed wonder. Thank you for your shenanigans and adventure. Thank you for your trouble-making ways. Thank you for asking “why” every two seconds. Thank you for tearing the house apart and then helping your mom and I put it back together. Thank you for your memory and your thirst for learning and experiencing new things. Thank you for being you…
I love you, Kiddo,
Daddy
The Matticus Kingdom 
Love these. So so sweet. 🙂
@johnbalaya was just mentioning to me the other day how much he likes my letters to the little prince, and that reminded me it was time to write one again.
I think they will be a pretty awesome thing for him to read when he is grown… or just older and growing. Maybe one day he will start writing you letters too. 🙂
We’ll just have to see how this adventure plays out.
*sniff* so sweet. definitely going to be something YOU will read when he leaves the nest for college!
Haha! I can’t think that far ahead!!
Take it from me from my vantage point of being so very many years older haha!
You’re funny. I won’t comment on the age difference, but will respect your experienced point of view. 😉
You are a true gentleman!
I’m just a jester.
Only one letter differentiates those two words…
Truth. 😃
Happiness abounds in the Kingdom! (Plus what cutie!)
Love the new blog design too. TGIF.
Happiness does abound in the kingdom, yes.
He is a cutie, yes.
Thank goodness for Friday, yes.
You are full of truths today!
I like a day like that don’t you? 😉
Definitely.
awwwwwwwwwwwwwww… sniff… must be allergy season… dang it…
Yep, tis the season.
I took a pill… I will be fine… HA!
Glad to hear it. Did you bring enough to share?
you can get them almost anywhere… get the non-drowsy kind.
That’s good advice even when not planning on operating heavy machinery.
exactly
Beautiful capture of your love for him.
I just love that age when the personality is just suddenly there AND they are able to articulate it.
It is amazing. And every day is somehow more amazing than the day before.
Wow, 2.5 years? Already? How is that possible? Great post though. And like other followers say, it will be cool for him to be able to read this when he grows up.
I have no idea how it has been that long already. Time is a funny thing in the toddlerocracy.
I need a hanky, in the most delightful way.
I remember those milestones. The first conversation, the first meal in a restaurant that was fun, the first, the first, the first. They sneak up on you. Glad to see you’re enjoying every bite!
Sneak up on me? Nothing about the little prince is stealth. I hear him coming from a mile away… I don’t know how he makes so much noise while still being so little.
That was beautiful. So, so beautiful!
Thank you!
I can’t help but smile. And yes, my nose is suddenly running a little bit too lol
I can’t imagine what it must be like to see your child flourish into his own being, create his own world and share it with you …unintentionally, though I believe fated, giving back this gift that you gave him : Life.
Thank you for sharing this with us.
There seems to be something going around today. I recommend Kleenex and a otc medicine: chocolate chip cookies.
I see this…this..phenomenon happening too. I suspect the source is roaming close…I…I…sense it’s presence! There it is, the one, the only : DjMatticus! *yanks Kleenex and meds out of your hands* Thanks for nothing! 😛
Hey!! Those cookies were home made!!!
Cookies? What cookies? *tries to act innocent with chocolate smeared all over her face* 🙂
What cookies? There were cookies? *desperately hoping nobody asks how many I’ve already eaten today*
Ha! Nobody needs to ask, we already know! And no, there is no such thing as “too many cookies”. Thanks for the chuckle(s) 🙂
I once heard that raising a child is like unwrapping a Christmas gift…for 18 years. I have often thought of that as my kids grew up. And I would say it didn’t stop at 18. It’s amazing and awesome to interact with these miraculous beings we are priveleged to call our children.
Christmas gift? Hmm… Okay, I can get on board with that. But, I’m having trouble finding the off switch…
*privileged * I strongly dislike typos 😦
No worries at all. Typos happen.
How wonderful! I love all your other stories, but these notes/letters/poems to your son are your strongest writing – love can probably do that.
Write enough of them, and you’ve got yourself a book that I bet you could get published.
I’ve never been one who really wanted children – maybe that’s why I enjoy listening to you share your thoughts and memories of the Little Prince; I get to read about the joy, and not have to lose any sleep or pay for college. 🙂
Always a pleasure to read ..
College? Who said I was paying for that?! By the time he’s ready it’ll be free… right? Right????!!
Thank you for reminding me about these letters. It had been too long and I should be more consistent with them.
It would certainly be nice if college were free by then … though one has to be sure to vote for people who believe that it should be. I’m certain Donald Trump isn’t going to make college free.
And … you’re welcome for the reminder. 🙂
No, free higher education isn’t likely to be high on his list. I don’t think the situation with tuition and student loan debt is quite to the point where any meaningful change will happen anyway. And, I’m not sure free college is really the way to go either. I’ve heard rumors that enrollments are starting to drop as the next generation realizes that they are more likely to be successful/happy if they invent something or follow their dreams regardless of how much it does or doesn’t pay. Quality of life found in pursuits of the mind rather than the acquisition of things. It will certainly be interesting to see what happens in the coming years.
what a beautiful and open loving heart you offer to your son. he is the luckiest child on earth and i wish all children were offered this gift.
Luckiest? Oh man, I doubt he would agree most days.
Being a father is an amazing experience. You do it well.
Thank you. You do as well.
Sweet. Kids are the best, aren’t they? They have such an innocence and trust and wonder……
You speak truths!
This is so sweet! ❤
It’s a little sweet and a lot silly and mostly exhausted… so pretty much exactly like parenting. 😉
I choked up when I read this originally, and again today…Dang hairball. This is a beautiful letter. John is right, please write them more often.
I’ll do my best. 😃
What a beautiful and touching post. Watching our kids grow and develop is one of the most rewarding things about being a parent. Each time we think, “It can’t get better than this. Just stay this age.” And then the next phase comes, and it’s equally fun. Even the teenage years, believe it or not!
I certainly hope it gets better than this!!! Life in the toddlerocracy is hard, full of tantrums, and tears, and poop. So much poop! 😉
Haha, yes, there will be much less poop. As for the tantrums, they fade too, only to be replaced by grunts and eye rolls. 🙂
These are my favorite. Hurrah for Little Blue Eyes. 🙂
They are very compelling.
This is so adorable and sweet. Something he will understand fully himself one day.