Wow what a time to be... alive? A teenager? A person in the US? Really, anything. Today is November 8, which means that this letter is almost exactly 6 months late this year - not my best work, but in some ways I'm glad because this has been a year of so much growth and change for all of us.
Our year started off with our whole family coming down with Covid. We were pretty miserable for a week, but in the end it was probably good to get it out of the way and know that if it happened, we would be okay. We spent a lot of time in the living room watching movies and whining about being sick.
You finished your first year of middle school, and summer flew by. You marched with the Bellingham all-middle-school-band on Memorial Day weekend, and it was so much fun to watch you march by! I was so impressed by how good you guys were together after only a few practices. It's not set in stone, but I think I'll be pretty happy if you decide to be a band kid. You also attended your first band camp, which you loved.
Last weekend, you decided you wanted a haircut, and there went your ponytail and the hair you've been growing long. Unlike your brother, you didn't just go for a short buzz, you had specific ideas about what you wanted, and the end product ended up reminding me of the boys in Bop magazine when I was your age (see: Devon Sawa & Jonathan Brandis). You also wanted to dye it blue, and we did that on Sunday night because you really wanted to go to school on Monday and surprise everyone with the full deal. You are so much like me in some ways - that is the exact way I'd want to do it!
You've changed so much over the last 18 months. You've gotten taller, your face has changed, you're solidly moving out of big-kid territory and into teenhood. It's been a strange time for me as a parent because you are in that in-between place of self-sufficiency and self-discovery, and still needing/wanting your mom.
This year you got into speedcubing, and we've been to a couple of competitions. It's a lot of fun, everyone is really friendly and it's just a pretty wholesome hobby. I learned too, but I've let my skills lapse some and need to get back into practicing more often. I'm sure there are a ton of things I want to remember from this year, but it's so hard to think of all of them when I'm trying.
You're so smart, school is easy for you, and you get bored sometimes. But I think as you get older that will improve, especially once you get to high school and have more control over the classes you choose. You will be doing some extra math work in 7th grade so you can do a combined 8th/9th grade math in your last year of middle school. I think that will be really good for you.
I love watching you come into your own as an almost-teen and a person. You are so much more confident and able to be your true self more than I was when I was in middle school. It makes me feel like I'm doing something right. I am excited to see what the next year (well, six months now) holds for us, and all the things you're going to do.
Love,
Mom
Favorite Book: Maybe Ender's Game?
Favorite Color: Blue
Favorite Song: Almost anything Taylor Swift
Favorite Board Game: Uno Flip maybe
Favorite Video Game: Spelunky & Minecraft
Favorite TV Show: Brooklyn 99
Favorite YouTubers: Jack Sucks at Life, Doug Doug, Jet Lagged, Wilbur Soot
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Dessert: Sweetarts Ropes
Favorite Thing to Do Outside the House: Boulevard Park, Whatcom Falls Park, Neko Cat Cafe
Favorite Subject at School: Language Arts? Definitely NOT PE or Social Studies
Favorite Song: Almost anything Taylor Swift
Favorite Board Game: Uno Flip maybe
Favorite Video Game: Spelunky & Minecraft
Favorite TV Show: Brooklyn 99
Favorite YouTubers: Jack Sucks at Life, Doug Doug, Jet Lagged, Wilbur Soot
Favorite Food: Pizza
Favorite Dessert: Sweetarts Ropes
Favorite Thing to Do Outside the House: Boulevard Park, Whatcom Falls Park, Neko Cat Cafe
Favorite Subject at School: Language Arts? Definitely NOT PE or Social Studies
Best Friends: Miles, Nora, Aurora
