I have to be honest. When I committed to writing you monthly letters, I was a naive, new parent and didn’t perceive the scale of the effort. I didn’t know that you’d have a brother who I would also have to write to at the same cadence. So here we are at letter #100, and I’m so thankful for this project to connect us over time and help me reflect and document in the moment.
I also didn’t calculate how quickly you could read these letters. I always write to you as a peer, a future adult, but already at age 8 you can read these letters. Not that you want to yet. You can’t easily access webpages on your devices (thank God) and the subject matter would probably bore you anyway.
Of course, you love to read. I am so happy to have a big reader in the household. You make up for the rest of us. We couldn’t quench your reading habit with just the weekly school library visit and can’t afford to buy you books at the rate you fly through them. I learned that the hard way purchasing a small series of “The Babysitter’s Club” in graphic novel form that you completed in a weekend. That was a fast way to burn $60.
I smartened up and bought you and Matteo your own Kindle reading devices with an unlimited subscription to check out kids books. You’re flying through more of “The Babysitter’s Club” and some unicorn-themed chapter books. My only complaint is that you’ve become used to staying up reading until 10 p.m. most nights, and we firmly have to “shut things down” so that you’re not a crankpot in the mornings.
Another fun, unexpected dynamic is that you like to use your new Kindle to follow along our usual nighttime readings of the Harry Potter series. We’ve almost completed “The Goblet of Fire.” We sit side-by-side with our respective editions as I read aloud. I have to stay locked into my reading because if I miss or skip a word, you correct me. I never expected that kind of oversight, and I laugh every time it happens. I have become a better reader, I’m sure, out of fear of correction. So much for breezing through books in the interest of time or skipping scary parts. You’re all in.
As I write these letters I try not to look too far out, but on this centennial letter I recognize that I’m almost halfway done and will surely finish the series when you turn 18. Don’t worry, I can keep writing you letters from there and probably will anyway. Good habits are hard to break.
Love, Dad