Hey there, Tobin,

It’s been a month full of good and interesting events. Most important, you got your first dose of the COVID vaccine. You and Callum both handled it with aplomb, and it makes me feel so much better to know that you’re on track toward full immunity. It’s a good thing, too, because we don’t have a lot of beautiful fall days left, and playing with your best friend outside has been what’s kept you from going nuts while doing school online. On chillier days, you hang out in his basement, but that’s not going to last forever either. Fortunately, there’s an end in sight. You’re going to start in-person school on January 3, after winter break. I haven’t heard yet which teacher you’ll have. You really hope it’s the same one as your best friend, but even if it’s not, I’m sure you’ll have old friends who will be happy to see you.

It’s probably wishful thinking to expect it to last forever, but right now, I barely worry about you at all. You handle your schoolwork with almost no help from me. When I went to the Online Learning Program offices to pick up some second-trimester supplies for you, the librarian working heard me say your name, and she said, “Tobin? I love Tobin!” I told her that I love you too, so it was nice to hear.

We had your conferences last week, and your teachers had nothing but good things to say about you. Your main teacher commended you on your leadership skills and said you’re always engaged with the classroom topics. Your ELP teacher was disappointed when she heard you’d be switching back to in-person school, because she really enjoys having you in class. “Oh, I’ll miss Tobin,” she said. She also showed some of the work you’ve been doing. In ELP, you’ve taken a variety of personality tests, and the results were not very surprising to me. One of your types is the Debater, which would not shock anyone who’s shared a meal with you and your siblings. She also shared a piece of writing you did about the Screwdrivers, which is the name you’ve given your friend group. The group is your best friend, his sister, and sometimes a couple of other people. You said that you were grateful to the Screwdrivers, because the way the siblings in that group treat each other taught you how to love your brother more.

Photo by Callum

Another major milestone this month was your taekwondo testing. You did an excellent job, and three of your teachers individually commented to me that you really nailed it and got high marks from the judges. To my untrained eye, you looked excellent: sharp and confident. You broke the board on the first try, which was not the case for every testing student. It wasn’t the case for you the last time you tested. You earned your green belt, which is a differentiation mark between more- and less-advanced students. You’re proud to have moved up. Your main teacher has said more than once that he looks forward to watching you lead your own students one day. I think he’s hoping to start his own taekwondo studio, and depending on when that happens, maybe you could work for him. I think you’d be a great teacher. You’re taking a break right now, because outdoor classes have ended, but the next session begins right when you’ll be fully-vaccinated. I’m sure you’ll be ready to kick some air from the front half of the room.

You might start basketball again around that time. It’s going to be a big transition to move back to the kind of schedule we had before, with practices and games and playdates and birthday parties. Global devastation aside, I’ve enjoyed some aspects of the slower-paced life we’ve been living. You do still have some activities, like your bass lessons, but I anticipate we’ll all be pretty tired for a while starting in December or January.

You got to enjoy trick-or-treating this year. I made your costume without knowing anything about the character you were emulating (Luffy Wano? Wano Luffy? Anyway, some character from the anime series One Piece). You seemed happy with how it turned out, and you had a good time roaming the neighborhood with some Screwdrivers and, for part of the time, Callum. I think you even still have some candy left. I’m not sure if you’re hoarding the full-sized candy bars you got from a couple of generous people, but in any case, you’re thoroughly sugared-up. It might be hard when you go back to in-person school, because you won’t be able to bop upstairs for a snack whenever you want one.

Your current favorites: books by Stuart Gibbs (currently the FunJungle series), cozy sweatshirts, mixing fancy drinks for yourself and Callum, online and in-person hangouts with the Screwdrivers, peanut butter on Club crackers, tortilla chips, ranch dressing, being silly, and laughing your signature belly laugh. Your laugh is so pure and jolly, Tobin. If it doesn’t work out for you to be a taekwondo teacher, you could consider a job as a mall Santa.

Thanks for bring so much light and happiness into my life, Tobin. You are a smile a minute.

Love,

Mom