Dear Theon and Kyler,
If you're reading this today, you're probably still too young to understand everything I'm about to say. So keep this letter, and read it again when you're 18. I think you'll see me differently by then.
You belong to a generation that's growing up with technology everywhere. So when Mummy limits your screen time, it's never because I want to spoil your fun. It's because I'm trying to protect something you'll never get back, your childhood.
When I remind you to respect your parents and your elders, it's because that's how I was raised. Respect isn't old-fashioned. It's one of the greatest qualities you'll ever have.
I've noticed you're always polite at school and in other people's homes, yet sometimes you forget those same manners at home. Maybe home is where you feel safest. If that's true, I'm glad. But never forget that the people who love you the most deserve your kindness the most too.
Above everything else, remember this, you are brothers. Friends will come and go, but you will always have each other. Celebrate each other's wins. Protect one another. Be the first person your brother can call when life gets hard.
I know I push you to play sports, especially swimming. It's never because I expect you to become champions. I simply want you to learn the lessons that sport teaches, discipline, resilience, commitment, and the habit of showing up even when you don't feel like it. Those qualities will help you far more than any medal ever will.
One day, you'll understand that every rule, every early morning, every reminder, and every "no" came from the same place: love. My job was never to make life easy for you. It was to prepare you for it.
If I can ask for just one thing, it's this: grow into kind men. Success will come and go, but your character is what people will remember.
No matter how old you become, you'll always be my little boys, and I'll always be your biggest supporter.
Love always,
Mummy