Donut of the Week

So this week, my little buddy is Donut of the Week at school. It's a playful little thing his teacher devised to give each kid a little showcase during the school year. On Monday they get to share an "All About Me" poster. (I should say "poster", in quotes, because it's really an online Seesaw assignment where they fill in the blanks. Thanks, Covid, for stifling creativity in our children). On Tuesday they get to bring something to school for Show and Tell. Wednesday they get to pick the music used for their brain break in class. 

But on tomorrow - Thursday - that's where the fun happens. Parents get to write a letter to their child, basically dripping with love and tenderness and compliments, and likely providing the child with hours of fun in-class embarrassment. The sappier the better. 

Now, it's been a few years since I had a homework assignment, not to mention a writing one. But I felt up to the challenge. So I cuddled up on the couch next to my boy this evening as he watched Minecraft music videos on YouTube. And clickety-clack, I typed out a banger of a letter in no time flat. And since I have the benefit of this blog at my disposal, and I can copy and paste and Bam! Instant blog post.

So here's my soon-to-be infamous letter:

Dear Connor – 

 

This is just a note to let you know how proud I am of you. It’s been the highlight of my life to watch you grow up from a tiny infant into the bright young boy you are today. You are always kind and thoughtful and empathetic towards other people as well as to animals. Your seemingly boundless energy has kept me on my toes and demanded that I pretend I’m at least 10 years younger just to keep up. Your capacity for intelligence often surprises me, as you frequently seem to absorb new information effortlessly. And you like to learn. Your limitless curiosity about the world around you and your observations of it have led to all manner of daily Quotes – nearly 300 in the past wo years – that I’ve shared with friends and family on Facebook. Your innocent and often profound insights have brought, laughter, joy, tears, and every emotion in between to the people around you.

 

I know it’s been a struggle this year; everything from dealing with this pandemic to the delays in construction of our new home (which still isn’t finished), to the loss of your favorite cat, Buster. I know it hasn’t been fun having to quarantine ourselves and miss out on play dates and stop participating in the sports you love such as basketball and soccer, and on and on.  But we’ve found new things to play, and new adventures to try such as our outings to go hiking in the woods or to try new card and board games or even to make up your own games. Your imagination never stops! We’ve killed many a zombie together and mined so many diamonds and emeralds and ridden so many paths on our two-wheeled “horses”. And you have persevered through everything and always kept a smile on your face and lifted my spirits in the process. I’m incredibly proud with how well you’ve taken everything in stride, and how you never complain and always see the bright side of life. In short, you inspire me. And I can’t wait to see what the next few years have in store for us.

 

Love, 

Your Dad