Dear Nate (on your first day of Middle School)…
Yesterday you told me that you needed to get out of the house. We’d been inside for three days, thanks to Hurricane Nicholas and the chaos it brought to our town.
You said you needed to “find something more interesting.” So, we went for a walk, took the dogs to Starbucks for Puppaccinos, and took pictures of the hurricane damage.
This is you, Nate, at the start of Middle School. You love solving, exploring, a mission, and a project. We joke about your constant, revolving passions. One day it’s wood-whittling and the next it’s computer programming, and then you’re on to metal detecting. (All of that was in the span of one week this summer.) You have always been restless to understand everything. That desire has grown with you and very much you at the start of Sixth Grade.
Middle school is definitely going to match your enthusiasm. After your first day, when you had discovered your new locker and the freedom of lunch, passing period, and your computer, you proclaimed it, “The Perfect Year!”
It won’t all be perfect, though. As the fourth Hergenrader kid, you are trying to distinguish yourself as different than your brother and sisters. That means figuring out who you want to be—and not just listening to who everyone says you should be.
Here’s who I see you are, Nate… silly, competitive, questioning, cautious. Because of all that, I know you’ll figure this out. Take it slow and remember who you are.
Let’s keep finding the interesting parts of life together. Exploring with you is my favorite, kid.
Love you & proud of you…
Mom
