Seth at Nine

Dear Seth Man,

I wish there were a way to force you to slow down this growing up ordeal. I honestly feel like you just turned eight last month and now you're suddenly nine?! I'm more than a little afraid of how quickly the next years are going to pass. Part of the reason we've decided to homeschool again this year is because I'm desperate to actually have time to interact with you (besides to tell you to do chores or go to bed).

You are constantly reading, listening, and asking questions. We made a question wall just for you to write down questions. Currently you want to find out more about scurvy, lockjaw, strokes, and opera. Every time you read you'll ask me about words you don't know or phrases you don't quite understand. I love it and I'm grateful you're not embarrassed to ask. I also love that you read so much that you mispronounce words because you've only read them, never heard them ("hahds" = Hades). I do the same thing occasionally.

You are also still our social guy. Today we went on a walk along a fairly busy walking/jogging path. Any time someone made eye contact you would strike up a conversation. Age is no barrier--anyone can be the recipient of a Seth interrogation (or a Seth soliloquy).

"Devices" (your laptop, the Wii, and various tablets) are your favorite form of entertainment. You could literally play all day if we'd let you (we don't). I don't mind Minecraft, but I hate Roblox. You, of course, prefer Roblox. In an attempt to channel your enthusiasm, we have you enrolled in an online Minecraft coding class. You love it. Not sure coding is going to be a real hobby, but at least the concepts will be there. Dad is also working on teaching you Python. We figure if you're going to spend that much time on electronics, you might as well learn how they work!

When I kick you off electronics, you're a voracious reader. You still prefer comics (Dilbert is your current favorite for some reason) but you'll happily read whatever you find laying around. I'm always impressed with your comprehension, especially when I'm trying to read aloud while Elise and Aaron are fighting.

Your best friends are still Gabe and Jack, but you'll happily play with just about anyone. You spent an entire Hammerman trip hanging out with a four-year-old girl you met. You always want your friends to come here so you can play electronics together. I usually make you play outside or in the basement first.

I love that you still make an effort to give me hugs several times a day. You haven't reached the "I'm too cool/tough/old for Mom" stage yet and I hope you never will. I love my Seth hugs.

You still wake up almost every morning right at 7 am since you know you can play on your laptop until breakfast (after you "read and feed": read your scriptures and feed your fish).

You are quite cooperative about getting your school and chores done. You don't love it, but it's not a constant battle of wills like with Catherine. You are, however, quite good at magically getting Catherine to do things for you or to "help" you with your chores.

You still spend quite a lot of time making up games for you & Catherine to play. They're almost all in "video game in real life" format, with levels and weaponry that improves with each round. And you still always win.

You love getting to stay up later than the other kids, and you especially love getting to stay up extra late to play Wii with Dad. One night you asked me to play, too. I quit after you both yelled at me several times for getting in your way during Mario Bros.

You make up your own soundtrack while you play. Right now I can hear you humming to yourself in between explosion sounds and dialogue while you play Legos in your room.

We love you, Seth Blood. Thank you for being so happy, so easygoing, so willing to do the right thing. Feel free to take a little longer before turning ten!