Second Grade

Dear Sara Sue:
Well it's that time of year again - back to school. What a summer you have had! Your big trip to Italy, a week at Lake Tahoe, and more sleepovers than I can count at Lucy's or Brook & Amber's. And the three visits from the Tooth Fairy have been exciting, too.

You continue to make your Mom & me so proud with your easy-going nature and your beyond-your-years maturity. When we experience other kids your age, they often strike us odd in how comparatively childish they are; you seem at least a year or two older than so many of them. And I think you realize (without really realizing it) you are more mature, too. I expect some of that maturity has to do with your terrific intelligence, and some of it has to do with how we are trying to raise you to be responsible, polite and respectful. You earn an A+ in all of those areas, for sure.

I expect in Second Grade you'll be learning a lot, but in the bigger picture it's a year where you'll really start settling in to the whole school experience. Thinking back to my own childhood I remember almost nothing about Second Grade, but I remember a lot about Third Grade, which is probably largely due to the foundations that were set in Second Grade. So, my hope for you this year is a greater realization of yourself and your abilities, both academic and in other areas like ballet and music. I also wish you success in learning more about friendships, both the good and the bad, and being at peace with the wonderful kid you are and confident in the love that your Mom & I have for you. We consider ourselves beyond lucky to have you as our daughter, and wish you nothing but the best in this newest chapter.