An Open Letter to the Toddler Who Waits for Mama
Dear Little One,
Tonight, you pulled a move I never expected.
From the moment I saw on the baby monitor that you were awake for the second time tonight, I knew I had to get to you. But this time was different from the previous times. There were no cries, no fuss, no urgent calls for Mama. Just quiet. It was after midnight, when everyone else was fast asleep and I was just about to close my laptop and go to bed myself.
I kept working for a bit, hoping you’d drift back to sleep. But then I saw you. You crawled out of your floor bed like a tiny, stealthy ninja and quietly stationed yourself behind your bedroom door. I half-expected a dramatic scene, but there was nothing of the sort. You just waited there, small, calm, and patient, as if saying, “Mama, I’ll wait. I know you’ll come.”
When I finally stepped into your room, you managed to walk towards me and into my arms with that smile that makes me melt faster than chocolate in a hot pan. Seriously, kid, how do you make patience look so adorable? That smile, so full of trust and quiet confidence, made all the late-night exhaustion, all the juggling of work and bedtime, fade away.
In that moment, I felt your tiny but mighty heart, teaching me that patience and love can be quiet. Sometimes the most powerful gestures do not make a sound. They show up in the quietest ways: a patient wait, a tiny hand reaching out, a smile that says, “I knew you’d come.”
Moments like this teach me about you, and about me, too. They remind me that patience is a gift, trust can be silent, and that love can stay steady even when the world outside your door is dark and the night feels long. They remind me that in this little life we share, it’s the tiny, quiet acts that leave the biggest marks on our hearts.
So thank you, my little ninja, for being patient, for trusting me, and for showing me the simple power of waiting quietly. And also, maybe next time, let’s negotiate bedtime a little better, okay? No more crawling out of bed in the middle of the night.
Love and kisses always.
Signed,
Jalyn (mama)
