My Clubhouse Kid: Air Mail

My Clubhouse Kid is aware of a lot of different ways to communicate.
He has been Skyping with his Abuelita (my mother) since he could sit up in front of the screen and coo.
When he wants to let Daddy know something while he's at work,
he knows how to audio text like a pro.
He knows all about sending e-mails, leaving voice mails, and has had his fair share of trips to the post office to send actual mail.

Being so aware of all of the different ways that we can communicate with those far away from us, I shouldn't have been surprised when one day he asked me...

"Can I send Grandpa Mario a text?"

Mario is my father.
He passed away almost 20 years ago.
I would love to send him a text.
I'd pay anything for that Skype call.
I wish, above all, there was an app for that.

There isn't though, so as my son looked at me awaiting an answer, I knew I had to come up with a way to allow my son to feel like his grandfather could receive a message from him.

We have since done this more than once, so I will take you through our most recent special delivery.

First, there is the actual writing of the message. Usually we have a photo out, as my boy likes to look at it, talk to it, engage out loud while he's "writing his letter".

Today's particular photo of my father is one of my son's favorites, because he knows that the baby Grandpa Mario is holding is his Mommy.

"Mommy, I told him that if he's in a maze 

he can just go through the special gate,

and I wrote my name so he knows this is from me again. "

A maze? A special gate? Definitely sounds like a need to be delivered message!

By the way, this process is always emotional for me. Simply writing this post right now is emotional for me. I wish he would have met his grandson. I wish they could laugh together. I wish.

Of course, this is about mazes and gates and delivering important messages. I work on getting through the whole thing without a tear. I don't always succeed, but my boy never notices ;)

On to the delivery of the message. Roll it up and tie it to the balloon string, that's it! If it's a heavier message, you may need to add a few more balloons so that it can all take flight. We have been known to release bunches from the Clubhouse.

The balloons, I might also add, are always chosen by my son. Sometimes he'll see a balloon at the store and ask if we can use it to send Grandpa Mario a message. My favorite is when he picked out a balloon that had the number eighteen on it "..because once Grandpa Mario was 18". True.

This balloon he picked today just happened to be perfect. I told him what it said at the store, and he thought it was perfect too.

"I'm sending him a hug too."

"I'm ready to send it!"

Yes, my boy put on a Mario shirt this morning. 

The adorable irony of it all does not get by me :)

He always watches the balloon until it completely disappears. Sometimes quietly, usually while running around to be sure he doesn't miss that moment when it disappears. To him, that's exactly when Grandpa got it. 

I think he may be right.

When the 20 year anniversary of my father's death arrives next year, my Clubhouse Kid will be 4 years old. I then plan on making an "I Remember" book together. Since my father passed away before my son was born, the actual memories of time with my father are only mine. Making the book will allow those memories, and the memory of my father, to live on through his only grandson. For details on making the book, visit this post on Living Montessori Now.

Ok, now I need a tissue...

Ms. Liz

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