Well, we’re still in quarantine. It’s been long enough that this is now normal. The days all blur together. There are no weekdays or weekends. Tom Hanks (who was among the first celebrities to get and recover from Covid-19) hosted an “at home” SNL and in his monologue said something like: “There is no Saturday, there is just today. And tomorrow will also be today.” That sounds about right.
You and your brother have been incredibly resilient and adapted to our new normal much better than your Mom or me. Your school time is now a Zoom meeting with a dozen or so other wild children and a teacher reading to you all, likely with her own volume off to help pretend that you’re listening. We trade Marco Polo videos with family members. Of course, your quarantine coping mechanism is art. That is a wise choice and much healthier than your Mom and my choice of drinking more — though we are also running more. Trade offs. I honestly don’t know how your art can improve so much and so rapidly without any instruction. Sometimes you disappear in a room and an hour later come out with pages of drawings. Your quarantine series is an impressive volume.
In the 5,000 square foot world of our home and yard you’ve also found more of your leadership voice with few dissenters. You more often take the lead on what game you want to play and you give marching orders to Matteo constantly. If he interprets a game or imaginary play different than what’s in his head, you are quick to correct him. He can’t read your mind so I’d say you are a little tough on him, general. Though he’s not your only target. Just as often, you correct my every move down to which way I swing my arms when I pretend to be an animal or what my posture should be when pretending to be a tree. There’s no improvisation allowed in your games. I’ve been quick to remind you that everyone can play how they like, though you contest that your way is the better way.
Matteo seems to be OK with taking your orders, but i think that has something to do with how you know how to use the TV remote now. With great power comes great responsibility. It’s amazing what people are willing to do when they’re dependent upon someone else for a key life source, like TV. I suppose as long as you hold that high ground, you’ll get what you want there.
Through this era of quarantine, it’s been fun to see you so much more than when we had weekdays and weekends. Even in seeing you so often, I notice how much you’re growing intellectually, emotionally and physically. For some funny reason you like to compare our foot sizes as a way to prove to me your growing. You most certainly are.
Love, Dad