parenting

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Dear Holly: The Book Fair at Your School

8 years, 10 months.

Dear Holly,

This has been a special week for you at school. Tonight it was the “Wild About Learning” event, where us parents were invited inside the classroom to see what our kids have been learning this year.

And all week long, the Book Fair has been going on. Both Aunt Dana and Nonna have been volunteering there- and of course, your cousin Darla is already in your class. Plus, Mommy will be volunteering tomorrow. So it has been a bit of a family reunion at school.

The first day, you were so excited as you came home from school and showed me what all you got from the Book Fair. I mentioned to you, “I don’t see any actual books… Mommy gave you money to buy all that?”

You immediately smiled: “Nonna bought it for me!”

Of course. That makes a lot more sense.

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your Martin Luther King, Jr. Schoolwork

8 years, 9 months.

Dear Holly,

Mommy and I have this unspoken understanding that she lays out your completed school projects for me to see before she throws them away.

So as I walked through the living room this week, your amazing artwork caught my attention:

You did such a good job of creating a portrait of Martin Luther King, Jr.

I feel like I’m telling you every single week how talented you at arts and crafts.

And then I looked closer, to realize that the portrait was actually stappled to a related worksheet.

I immediately figured it would be you telling about some of the specific ways Martin Luther King, Jr. made the world a better place. He is certainly one of my personal favorite heroes.

You filled in the first line by correctly stating that Martin Luther King, Jr.’s dream was that “everybody is equal”.

But then I was confused by the picture you drew of you and Mommy shopping at Walmart:

“My dream is… every product in the store is free. In my dream, people would… go to the store and pick out a need or want and it would be free. Here is something I can do to make my dream come true… dream about it.”

Not quite a wish for world peace.

Umm… well... at least you were honest?

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Our 1st Time Hosting a Super Bowl Party at Our House in Alabama

14 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

A week before the Super Bowl this year, we realized we didn’t actually have plans. So we solved that problem by hosting a small party at our house this year.

This is something we have never done before!

But it came together quite effortlessly.

The only real challenge was figuring out how to watch the Super Bowl on our TV. You heard Mommy and I discussing it. Less than two minutes later, you walked over to us and announced, “Okay, I set it up now.

You mumbled something about downloading an app on our TV, then creating a login and password… I think.

It’s convenient having a 14 year-old boy around!

As for the Super Bowl, your favorite part was watching Kendrick Lamar perform at the Halftime Show. Afterwards, you slept through the second half of the game.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your Cactus Valentine’s Box

8 years, 9 months.

Dear Holly,

I love that you randomly decided to make a cactus for your Valentine’s Day box for school.

You have always loved drawing; especially since you were old enough to start going on YouTube to learn how to draw whatever you thought of.

As I look at your cactus, she clearly looks like a female cactus version of you. I know that’s a funny sentence, but it’s true!

It was very clever how you thought to use a flower as her bow.

I think your cactus creation is really going to stand out in your class this Friday for Valentine’s Day!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: How You Spent Your Christmas Gift Card

14 years, 3 months.

Dear Jack,

After your sister spent Cousin Matt’s Christmas gift card on a Lego set, you were inspired to spend yours as well.

You came back home with a random medley of items that a 14 year-old, in theory, would not be likely to spend free money on.

You used your gift card to buy a small shovel to attach onto the front of one of your remote control cars, so that you could run it into some ceramic garden mushroom decorations.

Also from the garden section, you bought a solar-powered pig to use as target practice with your BB gun.

And that’s how my 14 year-old son spent the last of his Christmas money.

Seems like something you would do.

Love,

Daddy