parenting

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Dear Jack: You Got a Perm for Your Upcoming 8th Grade School Year

13 years, 8 months.

Dear Jack,

Twenty-six years ago in the summer of 1998, I went to get a perm from Chalane McClung at Golden Shears; in preparation of my upcoming senior year at Fort Payne High School.

This week, you got a perm from Chalane McClung at Golden Shears; in preparation of your upcoming 8th grade year at Fort Payne Middle School.

It was all your idea. You have been refraining from getting a haircut for the past 3 months.

And now, you have confirmed it was totally worth it.

Not only do you get to be the cool new kid who transferred in from Tennessee, but you get to be the boy with the coolest hair!

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Learning Secret Family Recipes from Nonna

8 years, 1 months.

Dear Holly,

One of the reasons we moved here to Alabama was to make more memories with family, as opposed to just waiting for the holidays or the rushed weekends trips from Nashville to see them.

This week, I loved being able to observe Nonna teaching you her secret family recipes, as she taught you the way her Mexican side of the family made empanadas and the way her Italian side of the family made calzones.

You were all in! You loved being able to help Nonna help cook dinner for us.

It is moments like this that say so much about our new life here in Alabama.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: You Made Yourself the Manager of the Massage Gun

13 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

With an Amazon gift card our family recently received, you convinced Mommy to spend it on a DDVWU massage gun, which is the $40 version of the $150 Theragun.

(I think your original inspiration was to use it to recover being sore from playing baseball.)

Once it arrived a few days later, you immediately unboxed it, studied the manual, and then began practicing all the settings on Mommy.

Of course, after all your hard work, you naturally needed your own massage. Like clockwork, your sister stepped in.

She was proud to try out what she learned by watching you.

I’m still surprised that it is because of you that our family now owns a massager gun.

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Holly: Your Final Month of School in Tennessee

8 years.

Dear Holly,

Mommy and I recently joined you for your school’s annual fun run, which had to be moved to the gym due to it raining.

As we watched you along with your friends and your teachers, I thought to myself, “This may be the last time we are here with you at this school for an activity like this.”

Your brother was at your school from Kindergarten through 5th grade; we have spent so many years at this school. We have watched you and your brother both grow up there.

However, you continue to tell me on a daily basis: “Daddy, I can’t wait to start going to my new school in Alabama!”

Love,

Daddy

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Dear Jack: Bonding Through Baseball

13 years, 5 months.

Dear Jack,

You continue to take playing baseball so seriously. It is now the norm for you and I to go throw the ball for about 45 minutes each evening that you don’t already have a baseball game or a coaching lesson.

On my end, I can definitely tell that not only your skills have improved, but also your mindset.

I am watching you mature out of boyhood, in a good way.

Baseball is giving you something challenging to focus on.

The way you interact with our family now is more positive, involved, and connected.

It’s like you have an upgraded form of independent confidence now.

 

Love,

Daddy