Valentines

Ava, without any prompting, decided to write personalized Valentines to her classmates. I helped her cut out some fancy paper squares, made sure her pencil was sharp, and left her to it. She didn't need my help. I only looked at the pile of Valentines after they were all done. And boy did I enjoy reading her efforts.

Each Valentine began with "Dear ____" (insert name of classmate) and ended with "Best Wishes, Ava." But the sentiments were all unique. There were statements like "I really like being your friend" and "I am glad I sit by you." To one boy she wrote, "It's nice to know someone who is tall." A few girls received some version of "You are really sweet." And then, there was the one that stood out from the rest. To one boy she wrote, "Whenever I look at the sunset, I think of you."

Whoa. That's a bit heavy for first grade. Cody said, "When is the last time she even saw a sunset?" I'm not sure.