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A Letter to my Son on his 9th Birthday


Read this on galpod.com.


I really did start this one on the actual birthday. But then it was half term... anyway, here we are.

My Lovely,

Last year I was a little worried that you don't have a good friend, someone to goof around with. Well, as I hoped, this was the year. At some point, something clicked, and you became good friends with a particular boy in your class. I'm glad to see that I was right, that you enjoy his company, and that you enjoy having someone in your corner no matter what. I know you've had to contend with some shenanigans in the schoolyard last year, but having this boy in your corner makes all the difference.

You went and won the school's talent show in the summer. I mean, I knew you were good, but I never expected that. I didn't expect you to win over much bigger kids who were not half bad. You put yourself out there, and it paid. Your piano career is having a little bit of a low right now, mostly because we went on a two-week trip and didn't take the piano with us (silly parents). I'm hoping this lull will end soon and you'll find your love for playing again. Because I love listening to you play.

I love our little talks. And every time I talk to you, I'm reminded how interesting it is to talk to you. You know all kinds of things, and what you don't know you are eager to learn. A few months ago we talked about being gifted, and there is no better example of your talent in math than me explaining the normal "bell" curve to you and you getting it after a 15-minute conversation. I had students in university who took several months to grasp what you understood within minutes. It's scary sometimes to be responsible for cultivating this kind of talent. I do my best not to disappoint you.

I love how enthusiastic you are about reading. You've read the entire Harry Potter series during the summer holidays, which is a feat I'm not sure I could take on. You moved on to adventure books of all sorts but still haven't relented on the classics front. I've tried repeatedly to get you to read The Famous Five or The Secret Seven, but you are determined you won't like them. Perhaps when you're a bit older, you will figure out that sometimes mommy knows what she's talking about. I know we're not really there yet.

For this year, my wish for you is that you'll find a way to challenge yourself. It's getting more evident every day that your teachers and even your parents can't always challenge you enough. I wish that you can figure out how to be an independent learner, how to figure out what is it you want to learn and how to then set out to learn it. I hope we can teach you that this year.

Love as always,

Ima.

 

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