Dear Mai,
On Thursday the world lost an icon. I don't normally get all emotional or anything with deaths from people that I don't know but this one hit me. Prince Rogers Nelson died April, 21 and I will forever remember where I was when I heard.
I feel that as a parent one of my duties is to make sure you are exposed to good music. Music has played such an important and constant part of my life I can't imagine what I would be without it. I felt ashamed of myself that I hadn't introduced you to much Prince prior to this weekend. When I got home from work on Thursday Mommy had already started in and explained to you who Prince was. You of course immediately liked his tunes.
On Friday morning as Mommy was getting ready to leave for work she was singing purple rain.
Maya: "Aw mommy. Are you sad Prince got dead and that's why you can't stop singing his songs?"
Friday night we had a little dance party and you got a brief education on some Prince tunes. I have to say you liked everything we played and I was impressed that you liked "Sometimes it snows in April" so much. That is probably one of my favorite Prince tunes.
Today was Daddy and Maya fun day and you were bummed to hear that we couldn't listen to Prince in the car. At the moment his music isn't instantly available on the music services I use. I can't get over the amount of instant gratification you and your generation is going to rely on.
Before bed tonight I found a poor quality video rendition of Raspberry Beret. You loved it and made us watch it 4 times. When you first saw him in the video:
Maya: "That's Prince! He's in his jammies."
Maya: "What is Raspberry braid?"
Daddy: "It's Raspberry Beret. A Beret is a kind of hat and calling it Raspberry means it is a shade of red."
Maya: "so like... Red hat?"
Daddy: "In essence yes. But it would be boring if he sang 'she wore re-ed, hat' wouldn't it"
Maya: (bursts into laughter) "Yes Daddy. You're funny. Red hat is boring"
(after another time of you intensely watching the video)
Maya: "Oh. Actually I remembered something. It was me wearing the Raspberry Beret."
Daddy: "Oh really? This song is about you?"
Maya: "Yes. and Prince."
Daddy: "When I used to live on seal island."
So let me explain "seal island." You started making up this whole life you had prior to living with us many months ago. You used to live on Seal Island. It started with you talking about your Grandma. Not my mommy or Mommy's mommy. Your other Grandma with Flowers in her hair that lived on Seal Island too. Since then we just started rolling with the whole thing and you have all kinds of things you did when you lived there. I think you used to be a real fairy on Seal Island too. So saying that you wore a Raspberry Beret on Seal Island isn't too much of a shocker. However...
Maya: "Ah yes. And I've met Prince before"
Daddy: "Interesting. I'm assuming on Seal Island?"
Maya: "No. In Portland. At one of his concerts."
Daddy: "..."
You're an odd duck little one. I'm a little worried about how much you have been mesmerized by Prince. I love that you like the tunes but I don't know what I would do if you ever bring someone home "like" Prince. Aw hell, you're going to do you own thing. The best I can hope for is that we raise you to be a confident, strong woman that can handle her own.
But anyway... Prince. Yeah. This is a loss for the world Mai. Just like always, the best we can do is let him live on through celebrating what he have us and listening to his tunes. I plan on hitting the record store tomorrow for breakfast. Maybe I'll buy you your first Prince vinyl.
Here are some random picks from our Daddy and Maya fun day. Other thoughts from the day. You prefer our local Chinese hole in the wall restaurants over places like P.F. Changs. Mommy did an awesome job on your hair trying to give you Princess Leia inspired braids. You wear it well no matter what ensemble you pick out and look like a seasoned city girl waiting for the light rail. I wore you out today to the point where you fell asleep. On the train. While eating a chocolate lollipop. You're tall enough to pretty much stretch out the full length of our couch and look like a teenager.
Keep rocking my Princess..
Love,
Daddy