Dear Mr./Mrs. X

As a teacher, I can't help but think about these things when I look at my little baby. I sometimes imagine the conversations and parent/teacher conferences I'm going to have one day regarding one Eamon Wolfe.

To the Future Teachers of Eamon,

Hi. This is Eamon.







Yes, he's very cute. Yes, he knows it.

He knows exactly how to use it, too. Whenever he pushes your limits, it's always with that devil may care smile and that twinkle in his eye. If you yell at him, he'll just smile even bigger, not because he thinks it's funny but because he knows that eventually, that 1000 watt smile will melt even the coldest heart.

So if you're trying to discipline him, it's probably best not to look at him while you do it.



There are some things that you need to know about Eamon.

First of all, he's very curious. And when I say "curious," I mean about EVERYTHING. You might be tempted to think he's hyper, the way that he runs to examine this, no this, no that, no this, around and around and around (for the record, we do feed him plenty; he stays so thin because he rarely stops moving). But don't jump to conclusions--the child can concentrate when he feels like it. When something is interesting. I've watched him sit and do puzzles for 15 minutes at a time--an extraordinary length of time for a child his age.




I guess what I'm saying is, your teaching better be interesting. Otherwise, Lord help you (and me, with all the phone calls I'll be getting).





Also, Eamon has a great sense of humor. He's terribly goofy, and more or less lives to make others laugh. He smiles through most of the day, but sometimes he lets his desire to entertain get the better of him. And he's very social; he's never yet met someone he couldn't charm. I am not exaggerating when I say that other children his age at parks and at the gym follow him around. We have often had both boys and girls chase him around, trying to kiss him. Eamon doesn't really seem to care, just acknowledging his charisma as a fact of life.

So, well, if you seat him by himself so that he doesn't distract others...yeah, I'll understand. He'll probably still find something to distract himself (a pencil! a desk! a shadow!), because he can find something interesting in just about everything. He's still listening even if he doesn't look like it.




I have to warn you, though, that Eamon is a perfectionist. When you start a new skill, if Eamon can't do it perfectly the first time...he's going to insist that he can't do it at all, and then probably try to run around and do something else. It's frustrating...I know...but just keep encouraging him. Feel free to bribe him with Teddy Grahams if you need to (or whatever the pre-school equivalent is).

And he'll probably be a lot more interested in math than reading. The child loves counting, but could give a flip about the alphabet. He loves puzzles and figuring out anything mechanical, but has been slow to talk. We promise that we really do read to him every night, and he has tons of books that he does sit and look through. Books about dinosaurs and lions seem to be his favorite. And he likes rhyming books. Oh, and books about counting, of course. So if you have a rhyming book about counting dinosaurs or lions, he'll probably read that one over and over.




I guess the upshot is, if you have a sense of humor and wonder, you and Eamon are going to get along great. I know that he can be a handful, but he's probably also one of the most upbeat and good-natured kids you're going to meet. And while his boundless energy can be exhausting for those around him, he really just wants to love you. And have you love him in return.

You know, like all kids.



Feel free to call if you have any questions,

Eamon's Mom