Dear Kid,

Happy Sunday!

It’s the 8^th and all across the land, people are celebrating the essence of the day. Yes, that’s right. It’s No Socks Day. (Didn’t see that one coming, did you?)

In honor of No Sock Day, I am not wearing socks (see how that works?).

I went barefoot for coffee, sockless when Dad and I went out to run errands, and sockless when I planted the spinach we picked up on our errand run.

Ridiculously, it’s a little too chilly and rainy for socklessness, but I sacrificed my toes in order to celebrate. I’m just that kind of girl.

Happy Today.

Love, Mom

Dear Kid,

Today is Father’s Day.

I’ve thought about Father’s Day a lot over the years. I’ve considered whether it is a “Hallmark Holiday”—one of those faux holidays created primarily to sell cards and beer.

I’ve related the history of Father’s Day (not Hallmark).

I’ve wondered whether Father’s Day is redundant because we should Honor Thy Father and Thy Mother every day not just on a Sunday in June.

This year, I’ve decided that Father’s Day is Important. Yes, we should honor and respect and even occasionally talk to our parents all year. But sometimes we take Dads for granted. Sometimes we forget to tell them how important they are to us. Sometimes we assume that when we say “Hi Dad” they magically know that means “You are the best dad ever and I love you.”

We know how important it is to us that they were at the game we lost, but we don’t always remember to tell Dad how much it meant.

We know how important it is to us that they listened to a rambling story and tried to keep up with all the participants, but we generally get frustrated that they confuse the two Bens in the story and forget to tell them we appreciate their interest.

We know how important it is to us that they sat through hours of band concerts when they could have been doing something (anything!) else. But we never remember to say Thanks for Coming to My Concert.

We know how proud they are of us, no matter what we do. But we forget to tell them how proud we are of all they have done, for us and for others.

So I’ve decided this year that Father’s Day is important. It’s a reminder to tell Dad how much he means, how wonderful he is, and how much we love him.

(I love you, Daddy!)

Love, Mom

Nothing you learn is ever wasted. –A Sage

Dear Kid,

Once upon a time, there was a Dad. This was way back before he turned into a grandpa and learned how to lie on the floor and let you feed him Cheerios.

He was a pretty good Dad, and despite the fact that I was a teenager and he was my father I listened to him more than I let on.

One of the things he once said was “Nothing you learn is ever wasted.” The learning may not always be tons of fun. (Oh, that’s how gravity works.) It may not always be immediately obvious how or when you will use a piece of information. (Who is ever going to ask me about strudel?)  You may even roll your eyes when you hear a fact-let. (Whatever, Mother.)

I’m sure there are scientific-types who would point out that every time you learn something synapses in your brain develop and your brain becomes more powerful. I’m not one of those people, so I won’t point that out.

I’m sure there are bakers and strudel aficionados who would point out that learning about strudel is always a good thing. I certainly agree that going along for a taste test would be fun, but that has nothing to do with what I’m talking about.

I bring this up because we are approaching Choosing Your Classes for Next Year deadlines. I get that as a freshman, there are limited options. You’ll need to take all sorts of intro classes and pre-reqs and freshman requirements. For all I know, you won’t have any options at all first semester.

But college learning doesn’t only take place in the classroom. As you hear a professor go off on a tangent, don’t get impatient to get back to the subject matter. When a friend tells you about a class they are taking in a totally unrelated field, listen. When you have the opportunity to attend a random event, go.

When you have the choice to pick classes not directly related to your major, consider the breadth of options. Find something that sounds fun. Choose to be a well-educated human.

It may not be immediately obvious how or when you’ll use American Sign Language or Secrets to Baking Strudel or Philosophies of the French Impressionists. That’s ok. Learning is good, and it’s never wasted. Besides, you might get to taste great strudel.

Happy Father’s Day,

Love, Mom