Can't Get Enough

To my son Tommy,

You have lately had a nearly insatiable appetite for learning.  Every day you swear you have homework.  If you have already finished your school assignments, you make us print out extra tracing letters.  We hit the library earlier in the week and you have read those books about a dozen times.  Tonight you and I put together a puzzle of the United States.  Not bad for a guy in PreK.  I really hope we can keep this going for awhile, like till you are 25 and are working on your third masters degree or doctorate.  No pressure though.  

Remember the key to education and smarts (and dare I say genius) is a genuine desire to learn.  This is really what your mom and I hope to foster in you and it is never too early to start.  With the proper encouragement, learning becomes a joy and a breeze.  With the proper desire and drive, you won't have to be dragged kicking and screaming to your potential, but can achieve greatness with a library card and a few dollars for late fees.  For now, we will just enjoy the fact that you just can't get enough learning!

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo

Call Me Maybe

To my son Tommy,

It was the attack of the sight words today.  Your brilliant mother, acting on a tip from your equally brilliant grandmother, made up a bunch of words for you to tape to various objects throughout the house.  These little paper invaders will help you recognize more and more words.  You are great at spelling and reciting the individual letters of any word but you don't always know what you are spelling.  For example, you taped a word to the boob tube and started spelling T E L E V I S I O N and then informed us that spells TV.  You also spelled S T A I R S and told us that spells steps.  Thankfully, if your Irish stubbornness doesn't get in the way, it only takes one correction and you get it immediately.  We also are attempting to teach your address and phone number.  When you recited the numbers taped up for you to learn your phone number you exclaimed, "phone number? Like call me maybe!" and ran off singing a pop song.  Your mother and I were floored that you knew that song and assume your cousin Emma taught you.

Sincerely with love from your dad,

Leo