ANOTHER BIRTHDAY!

Dear Rachel,

It's your 15th birthday today and I'm happy for you. In the kitchen this morning we all sang songs to you till we made you laugh and embarrassed you by shouting in unison out the front door "WE LOVE YOU" as you walked down the road to school.

I know you're happy today because you've a new phone in one pocket, a ticket to My Chemical Romance in the other and money for those brothel creepers, your hearts' desire.

There IS one thing that I'm sorry about because I could see the disbelief in your eyes when you saw it and that's the photo that Liberty Spike sent you, during breakfast , on your new phone, of Billie Joe Armstrong with dull brown hair and no eyeliner.
"He looks Soooooooo old and ordinary," you moaned. Your idol diminishing in stature before your very eyes.
That's what birthdays bring darling, but you're too young to realize that.

You're a beautiful girl and I've learnt many things from YOU, like, how you never hold a grudge, how you apologise immediately when you're in the wrong, how you stick with what you say, not changing your mind back and forth. How you do something when you say you will. How you look on the bright side of life. How you go away and think things over and come back to negotiate a compromise on something you want. How you never seek approval or glory and are so beautifully modest in all the wonderful things you say and do.

I have always loved you and I always will and I'm so glad that we can laugh together on the good days but more importantly on the bad.

Love Mum

XXX


P.S. R and S may stay tonight but not A because I heard this morning she's got the first part of her ASBO.
P.P.S There is no negotiation on this. I am your MOTHER and you'll do what I say.
P.P.P.S. I don't think you realize what an influence you have on your younger sisters.