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Dear Jack: One More Month to Spend Time with Your Current Friends

13 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

Our house here in Tennessee officially goes on the market this coming Monday.

With your 7th grade school year coming to a close in about a month, these are the final weeks of you seeing and hanging out with your current group of friends everyday.

Often after school, you go to hang out with them; playing basketball or football in our neighborhood or one of the surrounding ones.

I’m not sure that you’ve really processed this yet, but even though you’ll still have their cell phone numbers and will be able to keep in touch with them after we move, you are facing a turning point in your life where you will be leaving them behind and making new friends.

So when I see this picture of you and your friends right now, this is what I think about.

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: We Visited Your New School

7 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

During your Spring Break a few weeks ago in the midst of all the renovations we were working on for our newly purchased home in Alabama, we squeezed in an afternoon to take you to go visit the school you will be transferring to for your 3rd grade year this fall.

We couldn’t help but be thoroughly impressed by not only the building itself, but also all of the teachers and students, as we were given a personal tour by the principal.

I was waiting for any moment, that everyone would break out in song, as if we were in a musical.

As we were getting a tour of the library, a little girl walked up to you and said, “I like your shoes. My name is Isabella.”

Needless to say, you can not wait to transfer to your new school in Alabama.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: You and Your Sister Babysat Each Other?

13 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

In the more than 13 years of you being alive, and the nearly 8 years for your sister, I can only think of two times we ever hired a babysitter.

And both times, it was a pre-school teacher who we already knew very well.

Other than that, anytime Mommy and I have needed to get out and go somewhere by ourselves, we would just base it off of Nonna and Papa coming up for the weekend from Alabama.

But last weekend, we decided to go out to dinner with some friends and leave you and your sister at home to babysit… each other?

Or yourselves?

I’m not sure how that worked out, since we got home to learn that the two of you went to your own bedrooms the entire time we were gone and never even talked to each other.

However, you negotiated us paying you $6 so you could buy an upgrade for one of your games you play on your phone. To be fair, your sister also got the same pay.

Everyone got what they wanted out of the deal.

The irony: We are just a couple of months now from moving to Alabama, where we will always have instant and constant access to family members who can watch you anytime we need.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: I’m Not Sure When You Want to Be in the Picture

13 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

Last weekend at the Easter Egg Hunt in Alabama, I suppose I served as the official photographer.

While I made sure to take plenty of pictures of your sister as well as all the other kids there from the church, I made no effort to take a picture of you.

That’s because, these days, I respect the fact you don’t necessarily want a picture made each time you do anything.

You’re getting older- so I get it.

During all the “eggcitement”, Mommy made a point to stop me in the middle of the action:

“Here, I want you to take a picture of me and Jack.”

You clearly wanted to be in that picture.

Later on, though… maybe not so much.

It can be difficult to know when you are ironically trying to pose like you are too cool to be in the photo…

Or if you truly feel you are too cool to be in the photo!

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: New Friends Await

7 years, 11 months.

Dear Holly,

Last weekend, Nonna and Papa once again hosted the official Easter Egg Hunt at their house in Alabama.

Pretty much immediately, you got to meet a friend of your cousin Darla’s. The three of you hung out together the entire time.

As we finish out your current 2nd school year here in Tennessee, you continue to stand by your statement, “I’m pretty good at making new friends.”

You’re right. That’s actually one of the things you do best… and with little effort!

I am excited for the new friends you will make in Alabama.

Love,

Daddy