Dear Miles,

I don’t even know where to begin with you. You’re only six years old and your personality is bigger than some adults I know. You are very charismatic and say things that leave me without words. You say things that make me just look at you and laugh out loud. For instance, I’ll be in the bathroom yelling at you about the mess in your sink and very suavely, you’ll saunter in to the bathroom and ever so gently, rest your hand on my arm and respond, you don’t need to clean, sweetheart. What the fuck? Who are you and why are you so creepy?! Is your Dad teaching you these things? He is, isn’t he? You will not be a creepy casanova. Nobody likes that. NOBODY! I laugh because I don’t know what else to do. This isn’t normal. This behavior can’t be normal. Nor can it be good. Oh please, don’t make me a young grandmother.

I watch the girls chase you around the playground, giggling and saying your name. You are very aware of the captive audience and usually do some kind of body gyrating motion that mimics what lizards and birds do when they’re looking for mates. The girls think this is all so fantastic and begin to giggle louder. I roll my eyes at the absurdity that is you. You love the attention and you’re very good at getting it. I was thinking of putting Olivia in drama class but I think you would fit in quite well. Not only would you fit in, I think you would love the opportunity to perform on a grander scale.

Your popularity is evident in the number of birthday party invites you’ve received in the last few weeks. It’s very apparent compared to your sister who is struggling still to make friends. I’ve just stopped telling you when you’ve received another birthday party invitation because the pain on your sister’s face is too much to handle. When you two were younger, it was easy just to have the other tag along but now, you two are old enough that it would be rather awkward to have the older sibling come with and hang out.

The difference between you and your sister is you enjoy playing with everyone. You don’t latch on to people for the most part and if someone specific doesn’t want to play with you, you have no problem playing the field. Chances are, there is someone waiting anyhow to join you. I’ve been hearing the name of one particular girl lately. It was the first time that you mentioned to me that you were planning to ask her if she would be your friend. Does my little boy have a crush? Are you smitten with this little girl? I thought about the innocent event that was unfolding in front of you and suddenly I felt happy and a little sad that my little boy is growing up. Then you proceeded to tell me how wonderful she is and again, I became a little sadder because I’m the main female in your life, right? Oh yes, this girl is wonderful. She is my very best friend. She gives me her candy everyday at lunch! Excuse me. She gives you her candy? Now I understand why you’re so smitten.

I’ve mentioned many times how much you enjoy running. You enjoy it and you’re quite good. Nothing is more impressive than watching you run 3 miles faster than I have ever run in my entire life. I’m not a runner at all so to watch you do it with ease, is a wonderful thing to watch. Funny thing is, we’re not quite sure where your limit is at yet. It wasn’t until recently that your Dad actually pushed you to run fast the whole time because you were talking too much during the other races. When you can cross the finish line without breaking a sweat and still talking without a shred of exhaustion, you didn’t push nearly hard enough. Your Dad was determined to see how fast you could go. The goal was to break 30 minutes because you’ve been coming in around 31 – 32 minutes. The Alameda Running Festival seemed like the perfect venue because of its flat course. Dad pushed you and you crossed the finish line at an impressive 26 minutes! You came in fourth in your age group which is even more impressive given that your age group is 9 and under. Funny thing is, you were clearly more tired after you crossed the finish line but within minutes, you were back to running around trying to tag Olivia. Your energy has no limit!

Even when you participate in running club at school, you’ll run 18 laps before school starts, claim you’re tired and need a snack. Take a couple minutes to eat your banana and then you jump into playing tag with your friends on the schoolyard. Dad is having fun with the possibilities and is planning to sign you up for the Run the Bay challenge where you’ll have to run two 5k’s and one 8k. I have no doubt that you will perform phenomenally. I know this because clearly you’re part greyhound.

We’ve been going on a lot of hikes lately because what else do you do when you have two kids who are constantly vocal about being bored and have boundless energy. You and Olivia are terrific hikers and are, for the most part, game to participate in what ever adventure your Dad and I have planned. Besides, it’s beautiful where we live! We have hills, oceans, redwoods, valleys – all just a short drive away. We’re exploring our backyard and you’re burning energy. It’s a win-win for everyone! It’s fair to say that you are also obsessed with Pokemon and any opportunity to catch them during our hikes, is all the motivation you need to get out there and explore.

You have a mighty big personality and I can understand why you’re so well liked amongst your peers – you’re funny, personable and are always out to have a good time. You’re a little ball of sunshine. A creepy little ball of sunshine. Please, don’t make me a young grandmother.

Love,

Momma