Dear Artemis,

Teachers always say that the weeks after spring break are a race to the finish line, and it’s true that you don’t have much time left as a junior high student. We’ve attended a handful of events at the high school, so it doesn’t seem completely outrageous to think about you attending school there every day, but it’s still going to be a big transition. As the oldest kid, you have the blaze the trail for our family. Dad and I are learning along with you, from big-picture things like course selections and thinking about college to small-scale issues like where to drop you off in the morning. Sometimes when things like this feel overwhelming, I remind myself how many people before me have navigated it successfully. You’re smart, I’m smart, and we’ll figure it out. Unlike the world-level crises we’re also facing, school details will surely sort themselves out.

We had a really wonderful Florida Keys trip last month. The condo we rented this time was larger than our previous rentals, so you had the private space you enjoy. You spent a lot of time in the pool, as I expected, and you surprised me by doing a good amount of ocean swimming too. The beach near our condo was really nice, shallow for a long distance, and the water was warm. The weather was hotter than it has been on previous trips, which made for lots of good swimming. We also did some gentle forays into public life, including eating at a couple of open-air restaurants and visiting a nature center. I don’t think you would describe that as your favorite part of the trip, but you were a pretty good sport about it. You used an app on your phone to identify many of the native plant species. You declined to put your feet in the water for a fish pedicure, but we had a nice hike and a good conversation about Wordle strategies.

You are an excellent Wordler, often figuring out the mystery word in fewer guesses than I need. It’s been a fun challenge for us, and it makes me happy when you text me from school bragging about an impressive score. There aren’t a lot of topics where I feel like we really understand the other’s perspective (our current disconnect is about how or whether a person should use the slang term yeet), so it’s nice to be able to bond with you over five-letter words.

You’ve been spending a lot of time lately working on a Dungeons & Dragons adventure for you and a few of your friends. This will only be your second time playing and your first time DM-ing (that is, serving as Dungeon Master, or the creative force and guide for the event). The DM of your last adventure was impressed by your skill level, though, and told you he thought you would be ready to DM on your own. I’ve been overhearing a lot of discussion on that with your friends lately, so I hope it’s a fun experience. The warm-weather days are approaching, which leads to more opportunities to do things in-person with friends.

Even though you’ve technically aged out of Filmscene Animation Camp, your counselor last summer assured you that you’d always be welcome back. For that reason, I went ahead and signed you up. It’s always been a good experience for you, and I’m hoping one of these years it can segue into a summer job-type situation where you could be a teacher or assistant. Earlier this morning, Skitter was observing you interacting with Callum, and he noted how kind and patient you are. He’s always thought you’d be a good teacher, and I think he’s right.

We got some good news at your most recent physical therapy appointment. The exercises we’ve been doing seem to be achieving their goal of preventing further curvature of your spine. The therapist even suspected that your curve may be a bit improved, though her measurement methods aren’t as precise as X-rays. You’ll have more X-rays in June, at which time we’ll think about the next steps, but it’s probable that you’ll be able to stop or at least significantly reduce your physical therapy. You’ve been such a trooper about doing PT and wearing your brace consistently.

You had a bit of a meltdown at your PT appointment when the therapist back-pedaled on something she had said previously—at our last appointment, she virtually guaranteed that you would be done with PT soon, but it turns out she misread your file and thought you were further into your growth trajectory than you are. It’s still not out of the question that you can stop, but it was a rough combination of circumstances. You were tired, hungry, had your hopes reduced, and the physical therapist didn’t know your cues and prodded you when you needed to be left alone. At that moment, you let loose some of the negative emotions you’ve probably been feeling all along but usually keep under control. I felt terrible for you, and so did the therapist. After some cooling-off time, you seem back to your usual reasonable attitude toward the whole thing. I’m still sorry it’s something you have to face, though. You’re normally an even-keeled person, but I caught a glimpse of the furious side of you that I hadn’t seen in a long time. Everybody feels angry and sad sometimes, especially considering all we’re dealing with. It’s okay to burst now and then.

Your grades continue to be excellent. You decided to take an art class this trimester, which is a little out of your comfort zone. You had initially signed up to take computer programming, but due to staff shortages, the school cancelled that class and put you into something nebulous called “Volunteer.” A friend took that class second trimester and told you it wasn’t so good, so your dad and I encouraged you to see your guidance counselor to pick something else. You seem to be enjoying the art class so far. Even though it may not mesh with your natural talents as well as computer programming would have, I’m glad you’re trying something creative and interesting.

Your current favorites: Minecraft, Mario Maker 2, Dungeons & Dragons, pasta, root beer, sleeping late, and making up witty rejoinders. Sometimes those go over well and sometimes they don’t, depending on the timing and the recipient. A big part of maturation is determining when a witty rejoinder would be welcome, and I hope you’re figuring that out.

I am very proud of the person you’re becoming, Artie-Heartie. Every life brings ups and downs, and you’re handling it as well as I could hope. I wish you a fun and satisfying last couple of months of eighth grade.

Love,

Mom