April 14, 2014 at 10:06 pm , by Nick Shell

3 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

While you’ve been enjoying the splendor of Band-Aids for quite a while now, or as you refer to them, “tattoos,” it wasn’t truly until this past weekend that you really needed them.

Saturday morning we were helping our next door neighbor Rachel move her elliptical to the other side of the neighborhood, where the community yard sale was going on.

(Fortunately, the thing had wheels on the bottom.)

On the walk back to our house, you were running ahead of me on the sidewalk, in flip-flops.

Granted, I did indeed yell out to you, “Jack, slow down! Let me catch up to you.”

It was precisely 5 seconds later that you fell down, scraping your elbows and knees.

There really wasn’t much blood at all, but it was enough to scare you.

After all, you’ve never really fallen down and gotten hurt before. And that’s pretty amazing, actually!

I can’t believe that you made it until nearly age 3 and a half before your first real accidental injury. Had you not been wearing flip-flops, I doubt it would have even happened.

You’re a boy. You’re supposed to get cut up and bruised on a fairly regular basis, right? That’s how I remember it, first hand in the 1980s.

I find it interesting that you typically remain so unscathed…

Makes me wonder if there’s any way I’m a helicopter parent who is in denial? I try to give you all the practical freedom that a modern day American dad can give his son.

Or maybe you’re just now getting to the age where you can really start getting into trouble?

While I hate to see you get hurt, there is definitely a part of me that is proud to see you growing up, like a little boy should- with scraped elbows and knees.

And well-earned Mater Band-Aids.

 

Love,

Daddy

April 10, 2014 at 8:46 pm , by Nick Shell

3 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

Since your first and best friend, Sophie, moved away in February, you have by default been put in situation where you are becoming friends with other boys.

Up until now, the way it’s worked out is that the kids in your class at school who are closest to you in age are girls- so that’s why you have been more prone to hang out with girls, instead of boys, outside of school.

But now that Sophie is no longer attending your school with you, I’m pleasantly surprised to see you talking to and playing alongside boys when I pick you up from school each day.

There’s even a picture at your school of you and a boy named Alex. The two of you posed arm in arm on Western day for your teacher.

That’s not a side of you I’ve seen much of.

I am very excited by the thought of you having a regular “outside of school” friend that is a boy.

This is because I recognize the importance of having friends of the same gender, not just the opposite.

I remember one of my 1^st friends like that in preschool- his name is Russell McElhaney. I still remember that he was my first friend that was a boy. I remember “outside of school” activities with him, like going to each other’s houses to play with He-Man action figures.

In case you haven’t noticed, I’ve never really written a letter to you that tells a story about you and one of your friends who is a boy.

I predict within the next year you’ll have a friend here in Nashville who you are close enough to that they do indeed end up in a story.

As for now, my next letter is about you going to downtown Nashville, arm in arm between two girls from school.

 

Love,

Daddy

April 1, 2014 at 5:48 am , by Nick Shell

3 years, 4 months.

Dear Jack,

For the past two April Fools’ Days in which I’ve been writing to you, I have participated in the tradition of trying to be tricky.

Back when you were 1, I pretended like I was trying to get you on the TLC show, Toddlers And Tiaras.

Last year when you were 2, I acted like we were going to stop being a “plant-based” family.

What I learned from the past two years is that unfortunately, most people took me too seriously. So in essence, it wasn’t funny.

That was supposed to be the point, to be funny by tricking people, yet it wasn’t really fun… to confuse so many people like that.

So this year, I’m not trying to be funny or trick anyone.

Instead, I’m the guy that’s giving out a “courtesy reminder” to everyone I know to expect April Fools’ pranks from everyone else:

 

Nick Shell

2 hrs ·

Courtesy reminder: It’s April Fools’ Day.

Like ·  · Share

The interesting thing is, more people thought that me warning everyone of April Fools’ Day pranks was funnier than the actual pranks that were meant to be funny the past couple of years.

In other words, sometimes it’s easier to be funny when you’re not actually trying to be. I think you can relate.

Well, at least some of the time, you can relate.

You’re at a point now where it’s getting difficult to know when you’re trying to be funny and when you’re funny without realizing it.

Like this past weekend as I sat you down on a clothing shelf at the Gap outlet while I looked at pants. You stood up, seeing the mannequin above you, stook out your hand, and asked, “How do you do?”

And on the way home from school last week, after we passed a few farms on the road back to our house, you decided, “Daddy, I want a horse and a donkey. Then if the donkey runs away, I can ride the horse and go find the donkey.”

The funny thing is, Mommy coincidentally bought you a “free horse riding lesson” Groupon the same day.

Now that’s funny. Or is it?

 

Love,

Daddy

 

 

March 24, 2014 at 8:04 pm , by Nick Shell

3 years, 4 months.

Continued from Part 2: The Talking Dog.

Dear Jack,

I remember a few months back, I read an article on Parents.comthat said one of the best ways to handle a child who is having a meltdown is todistract them.

So that’s exactly what I did this past weekend when we were at Kohl’s.

You were checking out the toys and came across a track for your Monster Jam trucks.

After asking both Mommy and me separately if you could get it, and we both individually told you maybe for your birthday (in November), you decided to ask a lady that works at Kohl’s.

She jokingly said yes.

Let’s just say you had a difficult time accepting the fact that a stranger’s confirmation on a $30 toy does not override your parents’ decision.

The story continues with me carrying you out, from the very back corner of the store and you crying loudly the whole time.

Fortunately, fate would have it that right next to Kohl’s, there just so happened to be a construction crew, building… something.

It doesn’t matter what it was, though I will say it reminded me of Level 8-3 of Super Mario Bros.

What does matter is that it was solid entertainment for you: a cement mixer, a crane, ladders, men in construction hats, smoke and dust.

You stood on the light pole (with me a couple feet behind you) in reverence of the real life Bob the Builder event happening right before your eyes.

My plan had worked, much better than I anticipated, actually.

Shortly afterwards, Mommy walked out of Kohl’s and met us in the parking lot, then we drove around the corner to Whole Foods to buy groceries.

I knew it wouldn’t be a good idea for you, having just had a meltdown, to be placed in a shopping cart in a grocery store.

So Mommy suggested you and I grab lunch while she shopped in the other side of the store.

Another miracle, from my fatherly perspective at least, was that there were some musicians performing there right next to our table in the Whole Foods cafe.

(Well, I guess it wasn’t that much of a miracle; after all, we do live in Nashville.)

I was able to teach you how to clap after each song ended.

That article on Parents.com (“10 Ways To Handle Your Kid’s Tantrums“) was right- the art of distraction really goes a long way. Fortunately, this past weekend, there was a lot to distract you.

All because I’ve taught you to talk to strangers.

 

Love,

Daddy

 

P.S. Read the entire Talking To Strangers series:

 Part 1: The Dishwasher Man

Part 2: The Talking Dog

Part 3: The Kohl’s Incident