Houston, Texas photographer | Wendi Schoffstall – Family, Birth, Pregnancy, Maternity, Infant, Newborn, Baby, Child, Engagement, Senior photography.

dear oliver,

the hardest part of releasing you to kindergarten is realizing that I must give you up to the less-than-perfect world that awaits you.  i know you will do amazing things once you let go and allow yourself to dive in.  know that you will have sad days, lonely day, and days when you just don’t want to go, when your teacher doesn’t notice you, your best friend won’t play with you, or someone doesn’t like you.  that is okay because you will also have amazing days, form life-long friendships, and expand your world by leaps and bounds.   the good will outweigh the bad.

your father and I don’t know everything, neither does your teacher, and neither do you.  always ask questions, know that not knowing the answer is okay too, and just because someone gives you an answer doesn’t mean it is right.  question everything.  seek the truth.  if you don’t agree with an answer, that’s okay, it doesn’t make it wrong.  stand for something.  act on the ‘why’ and create change.

not everyone will like you, that is okay.  don’t let what someone else thinks of you alter who you are and who you will become.  you will meet people that don’t understand you, and people you will not understand.  try to find out who they really are and what drives them.  you don’t have to agree with people to like them.  don’t surround yourself with only people that agree with you.  find friendships in the differences.  be willing to be different.  be tolerant of the differences in others.  embrace change and be open to learning what the world has to teach you.

but more than anything else, know that I am always here.

to the moon and back,
mom

[dear less-than-perfect world, be gentle. -wendi]