Dear Tobin,

It’s been a long, weird winter break. You had the expected couple of weeks off around the holidays, and due to inclement weather of various types, you haven’t had a full school week since then. Last week was the closest, with four days of school, and it’s looking like next week will finally be normal. You’ve been relishing the extra time off. You are slipping into the teenage circadian rhythms—you’ll sleep in until 10:30 or 11:00 if you can. You used to be an early riser, but now that you’re nearly twelve-and-a-half, it’s not too surprising. You’ve also been shoveling our neighbors’ sidewalk and driveway because they’re spending most of the winter out of town. We’d had an almost snow-free winter until January, when it all fell down at once. We got fifteen inches in forty-eight hours during the first wave, and then we got another five or so inches a couple of days later. I read that it’s the largest amount of snow our area has gotten in that short a timeframe since 1973.

The first round of snow was wet and heavy, too, which made for a challenging shoveling task. We all worked at it, since we needed to get our own driveway and sidewalk done as well. Callum mostly rolled around in the snow, but everyone else worked hard. I had to re-up our hot chocolate supply, because that was a popular post-snow-removal treat. After the first blizzard, the temperature dropped severely. You had school cancellations due to the low temperatures, and then when the temperatures rose again to around freezing levels, you had another cancellation due to icy conditions. We’ve had a lot of melting since things have warmed up, but the snow is still pretty deep.

Along with the money you’ve been earning moving snow, you had your highest-paying lab rat job to date. As I may have described in previous monthly letters, you were part of a multi-stage study about the brains of high achievers. You completed a variety of tests, including computer-based activities, interviews, biometric data collection, and an IQ test. You were paid for each phase, but we thought you wouldn’t be eligible for the big payout: the brain MRI. The research is comparing the brains of high-achieving kids both with and without ADHD or autism, and you were in the “without” group. The MRI was only supposed to be for kids in the “with” group, but a member of the research team called me and said your IQ test (verbal IQ specifically) was so high that they wanted to include you. I asked not to get the results, because I didn’t think it would be useful or helpful for me or you to know, but I guess it was a pretty high score.

We went to have it done, and everything went fine from your perspective. Unfortunately, there was some kind of problem with their software for one part of the MRI, so we need to go in next week to finish it up. In any case, you were very excited to get a fat check for your efforts. I’m proud that scientists agree that your brain is so interesting it deserves special scrutiny.

You’ve been very jazzed about starting junior high next year. They’re actually changing it to middle school; you’ll finish out your sixth-grade year in elementary school, but as of next fall, the middle school will house sixth-, seventh-, and eighth-graders. You’re not only excited about the new opportunities that middle school will bring, but you’re glad that you won’t be in the youngest grade in the school. The principal came to your class earlier this week and talked about all the interesting classes you can take, and we spent a long time filling out a survey the middle school sent to gauge interest. You’ll take the basic classes, of course, as well as ELP and a few electives. You expressed interest in Family & Consumer Sciences (because of the cooking element), metalworking, some art classes, and an introduction to Spanish and French that can set you up to take a more rigorous class in eighth grade.

You’re excited to move on in part because this school year has not been going so great. It started well, but your teacher (whom you liked a lot) left for maternity leave, and you don’t feel very confident in your long-term sub. I guess there are a number of kids in your class who aren’t very well-behaved, and the sub doesn’t have a very firm hand in terms of discipline or classroom management. You’ve been feeling pretty negative about school lately, so it’s nice to see you enthusiastic about what’s coming up next year. I’m hoping that your regular teacher will whip the class into shape when she returns in early March. In any case, the school year always seems like a race to the finish once we hit spring break, and that is coming up in not too long.

You’re my best buddy for spring break dreaming, and we’re very happy that this is a Keys year. You and I share a special joy in looking at pictures of our condo (especially because we’re returning to the same place we stayed last time, which has a particularly lovely pool overlooking the ocean). You also like to look at the websites of local restaurants and attractions with me. Each time we visit, we like to balance returning to our old favorite destinations with trying something new. This time, our plan is to visit Pigeon Key. It’s a little island that was a home base for the people who built the original Seven Mile Bridge, back when it carried a railroad. We’ll take a ferry to get out there, and once we’ve arrived, there’s some historical and natural splendor to enjoy. You have expressed interest in snorkeling there with me, as apparently there’s some good off-shore snorkeling available. It sounds fun, and it’s always good times when I get to do something aquatic with you.

Your current favorites: thinking about junior high, playing with friends, figuring out what we’re having on take-out night, Adidas sweatpants, helping cook, sports, reading (both physical and audiobooks), playing Gorilla Tag with your friends on the Oculus VR, and making money. You have a lot saved up now, so we really need to get you your own bank account so you can make some choices about how to save and spend.

It occurred to me that you’re truly unstoppable, Tobin. With your smart brain, adventurous spirit, and entrepreneurial attitude, I am confident you’ll go far. I just hope you invite me along, or at least let me visit pretty often. I love you so much.

Love,

Mom