Dear Tobin,

This won’t be surprising to anyone who has read a Tobin Times before or who knows you at all, but you are an adventure a minute.  Even though we are in limiting circumstances at the moment, mostly just hanging around Mubby and Skitter’s house, you keep things exciting.  This morning, you and I took a walk to Brookside Park.  Something that starts out simple often doesn’t stay simple when you’re involved.  Before our outing was finished, we’d seen a varmint up-close (you’re sure it was a beaver, though its tail looked too fluffy in my opinion), played with flowers, jogged for a spell to avoid a passerby on a bridge, talked about your upcoming birthday, scrambled up a steep path, and split up on the last part of the walk home so you could test a theory about a shortcut.

Your mind and body stay busy all the time.  This afternoon I went up to the balcony to look for something, and I noticed the post office you’d set up.  You decided the household needed an internal mail system, so you set it into motion.  I don’t think anybody has sent any mail yet, so I wrote a letter to each kid and stuck it in the box.  We’ll see if that project has flown out of your mind already or if you’ll be making some deliveries.

Another thing we did today was record your part on a Family Folk Machine song.  We’re doing our session virtually, which means that each person has to record his/her part, and we send it in to our directors for them to arrange into a group track.  You did your part and were very helpful as Callum worked on his.  I’m not sure you have a natural ear for music, but you do have a natural talent for projects and challenges.  Tomorrow is Sunday, and it’s become a tradition to get takeout for dinner every Sunday night.  Back home, we were taking turns for who got to choose the restaurant.  It’s a little more complicated here, with more people, but you’ve decided that tomorrow is your turn, and we’re having pizza.  What’s more, we’re having a pizza party of your devising.  That means rather than sitting down at the table with plates and silverware and water glasses like we usually do, you want us to just put the pizza down and we can walk by and grab a slice.  You also hope to incorporate movies and video games. All the experts say that sitting down to a family dinner as often as possible is so important.  That’s what we try to do, so it’s funny that the novelty for you is the non-unified dinner experience.

You’ve been having a lot of fun playing outside when it’s not too hot.  Skitter waters his garden with the sprinkler some nights, and you and Callum like to get involved with that.  You also like to use water squirters on each other, which often ends up with Callum crying.  Sometimes you have a hard time knowing when it’s time to back off.  That might be because you are advanced enough to keep up with Miles most of the time, so you’ve grown accustomed to pushing yourself in every situation.  That’s not so great when you’re playing with Callum, who needs a little more tenderness.  It’s also not so great when we’re trying to have a calm dinner and you keep running around and poking Miles on the head.  Maybe that’s why you like the idea of a dinner that doesn’t require sitting still.

The other morning you were complaining about Callum hogging the bed.  Here at Mubby and Skitter’s, you and Callum have been sharing one bed and Miles has one to himself in the same room.  I asked you if you’d like to switch, so Miles could take a turn sharing with Callum and you could have your own space.  You furrowed your brow and said, “But then I wouldn’t have a cuddle buddy.”

Third grade is certainly going to be different for you than we expected, as you will almost certainly be attending online for the foreseeable future.  I didn’t think you would like that idea, since you’re very social and always have a lot of fun with your school friends.  But you’re also someone who worries, and you said you didn’t want to go to school if it wasn’t safe.  I’m glad that it won’t be devastating for you, and maybe we can figure out a way for you to have some socially-distant friend contact.  It’s all very controversial right now, since our school board made the decision that all preK-12th grade school would be 100% online for the start of the year.  They worked hard to develop schedules and plans, only to have the governor make a proclamation that all schools must offer at least 50% core instruction in person.  I also fear that she is trying to override our school district’s face covering requirement.  Our  district is applying for a waiver, which I hope they can receive considering the influx of university students that will surely create a further surge in coronavirus cases in our community.  In any case, I believe there will still be an all-online option, which is what our family will be doing.  I know there’s no perfect answer, because many families have no parents with the flexibility to be home, but right now safety should be our highest priority.  I’m glad you understand that.

Photo by Beth Clarke

Of course, that doesn’t stop you from doing things like balancing a stick on your face.  Oh, Tobin.

Your current favorites:  watching Beyblades shows on Netflix, playing poker, re-reading the Gregor the Overlander series, pizza, listening to audiobooks, practicing Spanish on Duolingo, and playing with the Switch.

You’re exhausting, but you’re exhausting the way a day at the beach is exhausting.  When I’m with you, I finish the day tired, but with a lot more sunshine in my life and so happy I spent it with you.

Love,

Mom