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Dear Jack: Your 13th Birthday Party with Your Friends

13 years old.

Dear Jack,

You carefully/casually planned your 13th birthday party:

Start out with you and your friends shooting each other with Orbeez guns in our cul-de-sac. Play some basketball in the dead-end next to our house. Get some grub at Culver’s.

And your party played out effortlessy. In fact, Mommy and I laughed at the fact that you didn’t really need our help at all!

Granted, I incorporated a bar mitzvah moment in the middle of it.

You are now 13 years old. It makes me so happy to see you at this age!

I am so proud to be your dad.

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Helping Your Brother Play with His Birthday Gifts

7 years, 6 months.

Dear Holly,

Your favorite part about your brother turning 13 a week ago was him teaching you how to use his gifts; which equates in your mind that he is letting you playing with his gifts.

He very patiently taught you how to drive his new remote control car on the track, to make it jump off the ramp.

After that, he took out one of his new fishing poles and taught you the basics of how to cast it.

I can appreciate his willingness to want to teach you new things; matched with your willingness to learn from him.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: A Dad’s Letter to His Son on His 13th Birthday

13 years old!

Dear Jack,

Happy 13th birthday!

If today had not been so exciting for us all today at our house, I might have actually had a chance to feel sad about you becoming a teenager today.

But between your new fishing-themed birthday gifts and the fact you lost a tooth on the way out the door to school this morning, I haven’t had much opportunity to think about how this has been the quickest 13 years of my life.

This is the 13 year-old version of my son:

You love to fish, you love exotic sports cars, and you are convinced that you have what it takes to become a millionaire by your 20th birthday.

Yep, that sounds about right.

I am so grateful you were born 13 years ago today.

I love you so much!

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: It’s Another Silly Daddy Day!

7 years, 6 months.

Dear Holly,

You have a new saying now, “Oh, it’s another silly Daddy day!”

When you see me in the morning when you wake up, I tend to be wearing a goofy t-shirt or a funny hat, like with Smokey the Bear on it. The first words of the day you say to me are, “Oh, it’s another silly Daddy day!”.

I started a new tradition with you now when I pick you up from school. I hide between a telephone pole or a utitlize box until you walk by.

Granted, you are purposely looking for me each day now. Once you walk up and find me, I always know what you are going to say:

“Oh, it’s another silly Daddy day!”

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your 1st Birthday Gift for Your 13th Birthday a Week from Today

12 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

Exactly one week from today, you will became a teenager! You were so excited to be able to “open” your first birthday gift: A brand-new mountain bike from Nonna and Papa!

It’s actually been several years since you’ve gotten a new bicyle. A few years ago when you outgrew your old one, I happened to be taking my morning walk and found a bike that was put out next to the garbage for pick-up.

That became your bike for these past few years, until you decided to rebuild it with some parts of your sister’s outgrown bike earlier this year.

But here recently, as you’ve been going fishing to the creek about a half a mile from our house, it has been difficult for you to drive that silly bike there with your fishing gear.

As for this week, you have been able to enjoy riding your new mountain bike to go fishing.

It is such a perfect gift for you for your 13th birthday!

 

Love,

Daddy