faterhood

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Dear Holly: You Started 4th Grade This Week

9 years, 3 months.

Dear Holly,

After a short summer of hanging out with your cousin Darla, the two of you now begin 4th grade together. But this time, you will be in separate classrooms, unlike last year when you were still a new student here.

But you are smart, confident, and friendly; so I know when you will easily make friends in your 4th grade class. Perhaps there will be new students who you help welcome to the school, now that you are settled in.

Though you won’t have your cousin right next to you the whole time this year, she’ll still be in the same hall; the classroom next to yours, actually.

I loved 4th grade! I think you will too.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Experimental Slime Surgery

12 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

On Sunday afternoons, I have learned to keep the camera ready, as I never know what kind of wacky way you might find to entertain yourself and your sister.

You decided to compile all the slime, ever, on our kitchen table; and then, using scissors, you performed surgery on the thing.

Some of the slime was bought in a store. Some was home-made, based on kits you received as gifts. Some slime had little bumpy morsels in it.

When combined, it became a magical and disgusting blob.

A great time was had by all!

 

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Wearing Fake Glasses for Fun

9 years, 2 months.

Dear Jack,

Last Thursday, you had your much anticipated music program for the 3rd grade. The theme was “Science Rocks”. Your music teacher had you all dress up as scientists.

She suggested you go to the dollar store and buy a cheap set of frames; then bust out lens, using the glasses as part of your costume.

You were so happy about your fake glasses for the music program, you started wearing them for fun on the weekend… and then to school a few days leading up to the performance.

Granted, you did a great job singing all the songs- but those glasses made you proud to sing that much harder.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Your Pet Millipede That Miraculously (and Secretly) Survived a Week Somewhere Inside Our House

7 and a half years old!

Dear Jack,

Something I enjoy about writing these letters to you each week is that it’s my way of preserving memories of you at whatever age you are at the time. As of this week, you are now 7 and a half years old. I feel this story perfectly illustrates who you are right now, as a 7 and a half year-old boy in his last week of 1st grade.

As the school year is coming to a close, your teacher has been doing some extra special, extra fun things for your class. For example, she let you bring home (and keep) the class pet:

A millipede.

Nonna and Papa just happened to be in town that weekend. You loved showing off your millipede friend to them.

But then, the next today, Mommy shared this as her status update on Facebook:

The pet millipede escaped. #enoughsaid

That’s because the millipede amazingly escaped through the “breathing hole” that you punched into the plastic wrap covering the Rice Krispies bowl. This meant your pet was able to crawl upside-down along the plastic in order to escape.

I assured Mommy that if your pet millipede was smart enough to escape your homemade aquarium, it would be smart enough to find its way out of our house.

Fortunately, I was partially right, because a week later, Mommy shared this update:

Millipede update– he was found!! Alive and well 6 days after his disappearance. He was spotted hanging out by the front door, so we let him free and we bid him a nice farewell with some cilantro and celery leaves  So glad I never stepped on him 

When I say sometimes how you are a well-balanced kid, this is what I mean.

You’re a smart kid. You’re a well behaved kid.

And you love playing with bugs.

Perfect for a 7 and a half year-old boy, if you ask me!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: I’m Watching You Grow Up on Autopilot

6 years, 11 months.

Dear Jack,

In the midst of me raising a very demanding (by default) infant daughter in addition to you, it’s both inevitable and regrettable, as your Daddy, that I can’t be more involved in all the little details of your life. I wish I could, but then I couldn’t be there for your sister in the ways she desperately needs me in these early developmental years.

I miss the candid moments that we used to have, back when you were an only child. Being an older brother has placed you in a situation where you have to be more independent of me.

In some ways, that’s a good thing. But I admit, I experience guilt in this, even if I’m doing the right thing by constantly minding to your sister, which gives Mommy the ability to focus on household daily chores, like preparing dinner and doing laundry.

It sort of leaves you out of the equation; to fend for yourself.

Right now, though, I’m thinking of John Mayer’s song, “Daughters”, where he talks about sons:

Boys, you can break
You’ll find out how much they can take
Boys will be strong
And boys soldier on

I guess that’s just the way I have to look at it.

But just know I really do miss our Saturday afternoon hikes through the woods, exploring alongside the creeks. I miss our one-on-one time.

I do the best I can to spend time with you alone, but it’s very difficult with your sister being the age she is.

So that’s why I feel like I’m watching you grow up on autopilot. I see this picture I took of my son a few weeks ago, and think, “Man, he’s starting to look like a teenager!”

Granted, that’s still several years off, but I do hope I can get back there, to when you and I had more time together. Just you and me.

Love,

Daddy