Dear Callum,

As of yesterday, you are a kindergarten graduate. I’ve already reflected on all the learning you’ve done over the last school year in this space, but it seems like a good time to say it again: you really learned a lot. I’ve always had faith in our neighborhood school, because Miles and Tobin had good experiences there, but I was nervous about how things would go online. It was definitely a team effort. For probably the first half of the year, you needed me by your side for every minute of classwork. You tended to space out and not engage with the teacher or your classmates, and I had to be there to keep you on track. As the year progressed, though, you got more and more involved, and by the end, I sometimes had to rein you in so you wouldn’t dominate class discussions.

The asynchronous work still required a lot of guidance from me, but we got it done, and you absolutely made academic progress. With your two big brothers, the learning process was a bit mysterious. Obviously they both learned to read and do math and all the other things kindergartners do, but I didn’t really witness the process. This year, I saw you build basic skills, expand on them, take some risks, make some mistakes, and try again.

Yesterday you went to school in person for the first time this whole year in order to attend an end-of-year party. I was afraid you’d be shy, but you were so excited about the activities that you dived right in. You had fun with water squirters, bubbles, bouncy balls, and popsicles. You even got to see your old friend Ms. Dee. You were happy to see her, but I think she was even happier to see you. At bedtime last night, you told me, “Ms. Dee hugged me so hard I almost threw up.” Things are still a little unsettled in the school community. There were many staffing changes this year in order to address the needs of both the in-person and online programs, and I anticipate just as many changes next year as most students move back to the in-person model. That means I’m not sure who the first grade teachers will be at your school. Unfortunately, the gem of teacher Tobin had for first grade is now working in another school district, so we can’t pin our hopes on her. I really hope you have a good first grade experience to help reestablish you as a regular student.

After much hang-wringing, I’m pretty sure we’ve decided that you will go to school in-person next fall. The vaccine for your age group is unlikely to be approved until September, and unfortunately our local mask mandates were rendered invalid by a governor who thinks basic safety measures are a major threat to freedom. All I can really do is establish the expectation that you will wear a mask when near others (though I’m not sure how that will work at lunch time in the crowded cafeteria), even though masks work best when all parties wear them. You and Tobin will be first in line for the vaccine once it’s approved, that’s for sure.

Whatever blooms in late April and early May has now done its job and withered, which means you’re past the puffy, itchy eye stage of spring. You still have allergies, but our regular regimen of Zyrtec and Benadryl can handle them effectively enough that you don’t suffer too much. That means more outside playtime, including lots of time in the park (when it’s not too hot, which it has been lately). You like playing with your friends Marian and Sebastian, and you and your dad and brothers have been playing baseball a lot lately. In a normal year, you and Tobin would probably be on a baseball team right now. Tobin has been doing taekwondo in the park, and maybe you’d enjoy that too. For now, you like going with him and playing with the other taekwondo students and siblings.

You’ve missed the last couple of taekwondo nights because you had two very similar, very weird bouts of illness. You got some kind of stomach bug that gave you intense but short-lived rounds of nausea and vomiting. It reminded me of a time I had food poisoning—lots of stomach cramps and frequent vomiting even after your stomach was empty, so it was just stomach acid and the few sips of water or Sprite you managed to get down. Both times, it ended as abruptly as it came on, just 12 hours or so after its onset. We can’t pinpoint anything you ate that no one else in the family had, and nobody else got your bug. One theory is that you’d been playing in the creek the night before, and maybe you splashed some creek water into your mouth or put your fingers in your mouth when they had creek water on them. But that only addresses one of the times it happened, because the first time, we’d been in a rainy spell and you hadn’t been playing outside. It’s all confusing, but mostly I just wish you’d keep your hands out of your mouth.

One very good development you’ve made is that your obsession with keeping things seems to have faded. You bought a fancy new water bottle with your own money, and you really like it, but what surprised me most was that you’ve suggested several times that we give away your old one to Goodwill. A month or two ago, you would not have thought that was a good idea at all. I’m glad to know that it was just a phase and not the start of a life-long hoarding issue.

While you’re getting better at saying goodbye to excess items, it was hard on you to say goodbye to your teachers. As the countdown of your Zoom sessions got lower and lower, you got a little tearful at the end of each one. Two of your specials teachers emailed me to make sure you were okay. I am especially grateful to your specials teachers, notably your music, guidance, and library teachers. Despite seeing the students only once a week on Zoom, they really made the effort to forge connections and treat you kindly. For the online school year, they were assigned from all over the district, but you were happy to know that you’ll still see Ms. Hallie sometimes, because she usually works at your school. You were also proud to note that you’ll definitely still see your art teacher, because she’s not just your art teacher, she’s also our family friend. Those consistencies will help the transition, I’m sure.

Your current favorites: reading out loud (especially Mr. Brown Can Moo, Can You?); strawberries; ice cream; your school-issued Chromebook that you get to keep for four years, including during breaks; playing with water squirters; helping me water the garden; and going on adventures. This summer’s adventures will probably be mostly outdoor, but the library has some nice activities happening in local parks, and we’ve got some plans to go strawberry picking at a local farm. We also need a new sprinkler, which I’m sure you’ll be happy to help select and test.

I’m so proud of all your growth this year, Callum. Despite the unusual circumstances, you learned all kinds of things, and I’m honored to have been there to guide you. As long as you can learn to keep your hands out of your mouth, I think you’re right on track. We’re going to have a fun summer.

Love,

Mommy