Dear Hypothetical Son
Soon you’ll be off to school and out of the house (for good.) So let’s talk about sex and college, shall we? I see you just ran out of the room. Don’t worry, this awkward conversation will be waiting for you when you get back. Okay, you’re back. Ready? If your college experience is anything like mine, it will be one of the most fun and memorable times of your life. It’s my hope you join a chess club and your Friday nights are spent safely playing video games with your bros drinking Mountain Dew. It wouldn’t hurt if you only gave women side hugs until you get married to the love of your life, either. But I’m a realist and I fear you inherited my love for a good party. I’m not naive about what you’ll be exposed to and what you may choose to engage in. We raised you...
Lifestyle
Dear Drake,
Hey dude. You don’t know me but my name’s Tyler and everyone says I’m a real shit, which I take as a compliment!
I’m writing to you not just because I love your raps. (I do, though. My mom tells me I can’t listen to music with swears but that just makes me want to listen to it more, you know? She’s kind of a shit-ass.) Mainly I’m writing to you because I’m about to enter junior high this fall and I wanna thank you for inspiring me to be a better bully as I enter this new stage of schooling.
I used to think you were probably lame because I knew you were on Degrassi which is a show for girls/Canadians, but this beef you are having with Meek Mill has taught me you are actually a professional-level bully. Here are some things you’ve done recently that I found really...
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Dear Girlfriends With Children,
You envy me at times. I don’t have to drag a lawn chair and a travel mug of chardonnay to 10 a.m. soccer games. I can sleep in on the weekends. I envy you at times, like when you come home from the movies and even though your kids and I had a great time playing Freeze Dance and building forts, nothing can ever match the shouts of joy when they see you. You always have a date for the zoo or the latest Pixar release.
Now that you have kids and I don’t want kids, our paths are different. Some friendships stay, some stray for a while, some disappear into sticky pages of photo albums. Most likely, though, if we’re still actively friending into midlife, we’ve got something good. Here’s what I’d like you to know about being a Friend (with a capital F) to a...
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Dearest Kitty,
I adore you. Even when you tried to steal Christmas, I was still an unwavering fan.
People who are ready to give their 'expert' opinion on matters they know nothing about are everywhere. They're not limited to armchair sports fans and well-meaning audience members after a comedy set (although in my experience, a lot of the 'advice' on my stand-up material was actually a thinly veiled pick up attempt); single people deal with dating tips from their married friends, and anyone renting has had to put up with a smug property owner telling them to 'reign in their expectations'.
However, there's something about parenting that leads to an exponential increase in people sharing their thoughts, and it happens from the moment you have a visible bump. Multiple times a day...
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Dear Neighbor,
Yesterday was a beautiful day, I think you will agree. I decided to take a short walk from my house on Hamilton Street to Dana Park, which I have been coming to almost daily since 1989, the year my son was born. As I often do, I brought my camera, sat on a bench for about 10 minutes, did one lap around the park and headed home.
I had barely gotten across the street when three police cars pulled up: I was told to stop, and swiftly surrounded by six policemen. I was “detained” there for approximately 20 minutes and questioned; another officer returned to the park to find out why you had called them.
My suspected crime, apparently, was having a camera in a public park, and allegedly taking pictures of children. As it turned out, I had taken no pictures that day. But I...
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My dearest darling child.
I am writing this letter to you as a permanent reminder of how wonderful you are, and to tell you that no matter what happens, you will always shine. I say this not just as your mom, but because of how much you have enriched all our lives and how you will go on to enrich the lives of others you are yet to meet.
Things you have struggled with have become my struggles, while all the wonderful things you accomplished in your short life so far have brought me more joy than anything I could have ever imagined. When I look into your eyes, I see such hope for humanity, and for the type of world we should all live in.
A world filled with kindness for everything and everyone, whether it is a smile, a simple gesture or simply being there. This is what you bring to...
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Dear Arne Duncan,
In a recent interview with NEA Today you said of my book *36 Children,* "I read [it] in high school … [and] … wrote about his book in one of my college essays, and I talked about the tremendous hope that I feel [and] the challenges that teachers in tough communities face. The book had a big impact on me."
When I wrote *36 Children* in 1965 it was commonly believed that African American students, with a few exceptions, simply could not function on a high academic level. The book was motivated by my desire to provide a counter-example, one I had created in my classroom, to this cynical and racist view, and to let the students' creativity and intelligence speak for itself. It was also intended to show how important it was to provide interesting and complex curriculum...
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Dear Filipino Sisters and Brothers…
My participation in the Global Justice Volunteer (GJV) program over the summer of 2012 has been another great opportunity to learn, grow, serve and make adjustments in
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Dear Mother whose children are grown,
I don't say it enough, but I need you. I know, I know, I like to look like I have it all together. I've read all the internet articles, can quote statistics on breastfeeding, and screen time, and I've got a whole Bucket List of things I wanna do with my kids this summer. I come to church and I have my make up in place and my kids are in semi-matching clothes and when you ask me how I'm doing, I say "great!" and keep walking.
And the truth is, I AM doing great. I'm raising the most precious gifts in this world and my heart is truly full and amazed that God would chose me to do this.
But the rest of the truth is, I'm not always feeling "great!" Most days I'm tired. I'm sure you remember - the kids not sleeping at all, the constant...
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My dearest son and daughter,
The story of New Jersey high school student Rachel Canning suing her parents for child support and high school tuition after claiming to have been booted from their home inspired me to write you a little letter.
Sure, you are not yet in preschool, but it's never too early to find a "teachable moment."
Let me just put this out there: The only way I expect to see you in a court is as an attorney or a judge.
I must admit that my first reaction to this story included a lot of neck-circling, finger-wagging and "don't even think." But as I started writing this for you, I found the whole issue deserved a far more nuanced response than "take me to court and you'll get a bill, not a check."
Even without all the specifics in this family's situation,...
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