Dear Miles,

You’ve now completed a full month as a teenager, and much like everything else in the interminable blur that is our daily life, not a lot has changed. Things that should be fun and interesting, like registering for eighth grade classes, are clouded with uncertainty. Eighth graders at your school are eligible to take all kinds of interesting electives. You’ve already decided you want to take Eighth Grade Seminar, a special year-long class that is geared toward highly motivated students. While there are some umbrella topics and themes, my understanding is that the specifics will be dictated by students’ interests and decisions. We were very glad to learn that Seminar will be offered to students in both the in-person and online learning models, since it’s nearly impossible to say at this point which will be the better choice.

The other really exciting electives, unfortunately, are only offered in-person. For the time being, you’ve registered for in-person classes, because we figured it’s easier to switch from in-person to online than vice versa. I’m not sure how your schedule will pan out, but along with your core classes, you’ve chosen band, choir, computer programming, Rock Band 101, and maybe something else (book club?). There were so many interesting options, I was almost ready to go back to eighth grade so I could take them. I truly hope it’s safe for you to go back to school in the fall, because I’d hate for you to miss out on all the academic and personal development that come with attending school in person. I’ve already ranted here and elsewhere about the backward steps our Governor is taking that are reducing your odds, so I won’t get into that again. Fortunately, our local government is keeping mask ordinances in place. I don’t know if that will be enough, but it’s a comfort.

We’ve been doing our best to keep things stimulating for you around here. I enjoyed helping you do a science lab the other day, and it was fun watching you show your work to Callum. We’ve been keeping up our family tradition of cocktail hour on Saturday nights, which involves fancy drinks (non-alcoholic for the kids and teen, of course) in fancy glasses with fancy straws and no fewer than three maraschino cherries per beverage. More importantly, it’s a time when we listen to music and talk about fun topics and don’t call anyone out about late homework or messy rooms. It’s just a time to enjoy ourselves, dance around, and sometimes do something fun like a game or an art project. You got a fun game for your birthday that we played once with Mubby, and I want to do it again with the whole group this weekend.

You also play a lot of Minecraft with your friends, and it seems like your friend group is expanding beyond your elementary school gang. You mentioned playing with a newer friend named Xander, and I asked, “Is it Xander _____?” because I know the parents of a Xander your age. You said, “Oh, yeah, I guess that is his last name.” I’m glad your circle is growing, because it will be nice to have forged some more connections before you start school in person again, whenever that might be.

You’ve always been a bit averse to movement, and that’s not a good long-term life strategy, so your dad has been having you help shovel snow. There have been plenty of opportunities to do that in the last few weeks, ranging from really heavy stuff to mountains of powder. I’m happy to provide the hot chocolate after you get back inside. You’ve also done some walking on the treadmill. I don’t think you’ve ever recaptured the glory of your Let Me Run 5Ks, but it’s good for you. You’re always cheerful after you finish, though presenting you with that fact does not do much to improve your attitude toward future rounds of exercise. At least you can watch YouTube on your phone while you do it.

You’ve gotten interested in Dungeons & Dragons, though you’ve never actually played a game. I’ve done some preliminary research into online games, though I haven’t yet identified one for you to join. For the time being, you’ve read all about it, and I hope you actually get to play at some point. In fact, you read quite a lot. I rarely see you holding a book or your Kindle, so I guess you must read on your computer screen. You were assigned a book for your school Literacy class, and I asked you how it was, and you said, “Oh, I’ve already read that one. It was good.” You never mention what you’re reading unless it comes up in another context, but you’ve surprised me several times by having read something I didn’t know was on your radar. I’m glad you do something other than watch YouTube.

Your current favorites: pasta with tomato sauce, the Christmas candy you’re still hoarding, staying up late watching The Simpsons and talking to your friends online, wearing the same clothes until I remind you to change them, and actually being a pretty nice guy most of the time. You’re good to your brothers, mostly, and you and Callum especially have a nice bond. I know it’s normal to have some challenges as we work through this stage of your life together, but I respect you and appreciate your generally mature attitude. You’re aware of the forces beyond our control that influence our choices, such as how and when you’ll attend school, and you don’t throw tantrums about it. I know everything isn’t how you wish it could be, but I’m glad we’re going through it together.

Love,

Mom