Letter to Grand Pear Rents [proposed]

Hello:

I’d like to establish a relationship with your household for Haven’s current and future benefit. My idea is that structured communication with focus on Haven’s best interests may help us experience a minimal amount of misunderstanding and unnecessary stress, and can hopefully transition into a relationship that is more natural and less structured as we begin to understand and appreciate each other more. My intent is to find common ground and unification of effort in order to maximize the opportunities for happiness, love, enrichment, stability,and positive mental/emotional influence and growth in Haven’s life.

I think it would be beneficial for us to realize what

Haven’s support can realistically look like right now, and agree as to what we are willing to do to work amicably together in the creation of that structure for his benefit. Further, I believe that it would be important to find agreement in how that relationship can be nurtured and maintained for Haven’s continuing benefit, and what we are willing to do to ensure we continue to respect and appreciate each other as a team working toward the common goal of loving and providing all the best possible for Haven. Finally, I believe it would be helpful to have an end goal to work toward, and hopefully we can discover agreement as to what Haven’s ideal support system will ultimately look like.

I appreciate all that your household has done to provide for Haven. I want you to please believe I am eternally grateful that he has had the opportunity to have family and a house to call home. If your family is agreeable, I would be more than happy to get your input on anything and all things I can possibly do to make things easier and less stressful for all involved and affected by my presence in Haven’s life. In your consideration of my proposal, please take note of any ideas you have as to how I can best assist in Haven’s care for the betterment in quality of life for all involved.

I can provide age-appropriate food for Haven in the form of formula, jarred foods, and a variety of teething and regular snacks, as well as diapers, clothes, age-appropriate books, teething toys, and regular age-appropriate toys. If Haven has any other physical needs, please let me know and I will immediately work to get what he needs.

Please recall my attentive care for Haven during the first 3.5 months of his life. I don’t remember any concern was ever expressed to me about the regular care that I provided our gassy infant, and . I don’t think I ever treated Haven inappropriately, or failed to control any impatience I felt. When he was awake, I never left him alone or allowed his cries to go ignored, and even when he was safely sleeping, I was rarely more than just a few rooms away. Haven never soaked through a diaper while in my care, and I recall happily giving him baths twice a day to avoid the chance of diaper rash.

I had and still have much love, positivity, and playful energy to give to Haven. I want to provide him with the lifelong benefit of exposure to a variety of music genres and language; I am searching for downloads of classical piano music and a few different beginner audio lessons in understanding and speaking languages other than English to play for Haven. I would love to enrich his life with regular attendance at the Douglass-Truth library storytime on Tuesdays (for babies age 0 - 12 months old from 1:00 p.m. - 1:45 p.m.), and occasionally on Mondays at the Capitol Hill library (from 10:30 a.m. - 11:00 a.m.) or Ballard library (12:00 p.m. - 12:30 p.m.), and the Magnolia library playtime for babies and young children (Mondays from 3:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m.). I think it could also be beneficial to Haven’s future if I allow him exposure to water and swimming (if he feels comfortable in the water environment) with age-appropriate classes at a community center. I also would love to experience fun and peaceful things with Haven, like visits to feed the ducks at the little Madrona lake, rides on the waterfront merry-go-round, visits to the waterfront aquarium, outings to watch the trains and feed the ducks, geese and seagulls while walking the Interbay waterfront trail, a visit or two to a fabric store to pick out his favorite texture and color of fabric (then purchase it and make a blanket or pillow with it), show him how to blow dandelion seeds into the wind, feed the seagulls at Ivar’s, and enjoy nice mornings and afternoons outside with picnics at the city’s different parks, including waterfall park downtown and the park with the big hat and boots.

Please consider allowing Haven to experience all the good I have to offer him. If you believe I am mistaken as to anything I have communicated, please let me know what you believe it is and why, and I will do my best to understand your point of view. I am determined to keep an open mind to any respectfully-conveyed, honest communication, and promise to respond in kind. Baby Haven can only benefit from our decision to work on his behalf to avoid conflict and misunderstanding, and work together with patience, honesty, appreciation, positivity, and respect.

There are so few days left. I beg that you keep an open mind and heart in considering my proposal and the many different options we have to create a familial support for baby Haven.

I humbly thank you for your attention to this letter. I hope it has found you all well and in good health and spirits. I send prayers for the blessings of peace and joy to your family.

Truly,

Haven’s Mother, Tess