Dear Gabby,

Do you remember when we sat chatting at the park the other day, you on my son’s scooter, me on the brick wall. Do you remember my notepad and my pen? You asked me what I was doing. ‘Writing down ideas’ I answered.
‘What for?’ you asked.
So I told you. ‘I need to write a blog.’
You nodded wisely even though I knew you had no idea what that meant. You’re probably 4 years old. Too young to bother with blogs, especially when there’s a park and scooters and swings and soccer balls to play with. But rather than run off to play you lingered, fascinated by my notebook, by my pen. 
I wrote down a few ideas: fair-trade chocolate, advocacy for kids, ideas for a screen free holiday etc and you were still there.
You’re always there, aren’t you. Waiting for someone to notice you and talk to you and ask you what you think. So that’s what I did, even though the whole reason for my being at the park was to find peace in a cluttered afternoon. ‘Have you got any good ideas? What do you think I should write about?’
 ‘Smurfs hats.’ You said.  
Really? Smurfs hats? I can’t even imagine turning that into a blog post! But you weren’t finished. ‘You could write about penguins.’ 
You were all seriousness now as I scribbled down your suggestions under my more ‘appropriate’ ones. Then you paused and looked across the park. And I looked at you; your grubby cheeks, your scuffed leggings, your frilly pink skirt, your skin the colour of your uncle’s in the sun as he sat flicking screens on his phone. 
Then you turned back to me.
‘Chipmunks!’ You proudly announced as if you’d solved all my writing dilemmas for the rest of my life. ‘You should write about Chipmunks.’
And then you were off to play. On my son’s scooter of course, until he asked for it back. Then you played nurses with your friend, and hassled your uncle until he sighed and tapped you on the shoulder to say it was time to go. And then you left, without waving at me.

But Gabby, that’s ok. I understand. I know your name’s not always Gabby. Sometimes it’s Ruby, or Timika or Shantelle, or Bret. And sometimes you’re my kids, my very own kids, who I have about me everyday but sometimes forget to look at – really look at, and love and listen to and hear. 

So this blog is for you. It’s about smurfs hats, and penguins and chipmunks. It’s about me saying “I noticed you’ and ‘Let’s chat again soon’ and ‘Remind me again about what really matters.’

God bless you.

Penny.

Penny Reeve is a children’s writer from Australia. More information about Penny and her books can be found at www.pennyreeve.com