1-6-22

Currently, G3 is working on two merit badges so that he can catch up to his peers in Boy Scouts. Last summer, due to COVID, we didn’t send him to summer camp. The deadline to register was before the vaccine became available for kids. If we had known that we’d be able to get him vaccinated in June, we absolutely would have allowed him to go to camp. But without a vaccine, I wasn’t so keen on him sharing close quarters, especially to sleep, with other people who might not be as mindful as we are when it comes to COVID. G3 was disappointed. He loved camp the summers when it was safe to go, but we tried to make it up to him by taking him on a five week road trip. The trip did satisfy him until his peers were presented with the merit badges they earned at camp. Then G3 started to panic. He felt as if he had fallen behind and worried that he might never catch up. But I promised that I’d help and support him if he wanted to earn some badges during the school year. First year scouts are not encouraged to do merit badges on their own. They are supposed to focus on the requirements for rank advancement. But just because it isn’t encouraged doesn’t mean it isn’t allowed. 

One of the added benefits of homeschooling G3 is that I have the flexibility to allow him to work on merit badge requirements in school. Earlier this school year, he worked really hard to complete all the requirements for his Astronomy merit badge. He’s very close to getting it. He just needs to meet with his counselor one night before his usual meeting to point out stars and constellations in the night sky. He’d have done this already, if only the weather had cooperated. You can’t see stars when there are clouds.

While he waits to finish Astronomy, he is simultaneously working on Citizenship in the Nation and Reading. Yeah, Reading for him — considering I am his mother and his teacher — is super easy. Just by virtue of being my kid and enduring my rigorous English curriculum he had most of the requirements completed. All he has left to do is the volunteer work, which is being complicated by COVID. With the new wave, volunteering in a library isn’t the best of ideas. The less in-person interaction he has with people the better. He considered organizing a book swap in his troop, which could have been a great deal of fun, but again, germs. So he opted to read to children via FaceTime. This is a huge deal for him considering his aversion to being on camera. But today he started and he did a fabulous job. We took a break during our studies this morning and he read to a little boy who is also being homeschooled. I was impressed with how well he did, how much emotion was in his voice as he read. And, he stayed on camera the whole time.

This afternoon, G3 also mailed a letter to Senator Cory Booker which was a requirement for Citizenship in the Nation. To fulfill that particular requirement he had to identify the two senators from his state along with his representative. That part was easy. But then he had to write one of them a letter in which he discussed a national issue. He chose gun violence in schools. And yes, I did give him time in class to write the letter. Writing has become fairly easy for him — when he isn’t grumbling about it — and he was thrilled when I told him I would not require multiple revisions. Once I said that, he breezed through the assignment. But of course the teacher in me insisted on reading it and making him do a few edits. If he was open to suggestions, I would have made the same sort of comments on the letter that I make on the assignments I give him. But this was for a merit badge, something that is supposed to be fun, and therefore, something that isn’t supposed to give me a headache. Considering the letter he mailed was essentially his first and only draft, he did a decent job. 

G3 began the letter by telling Senator Booker that they had met. And they did, back when G3 was about three years old. With our church, we participated in a walk to raise money for Marriage Equality in New Jersey. Booker showed up at the event and I insisted on taking G3’s picture with him. G3 was shy, and perhaps a bit scared. You can clearly see the apprehension on his face. Even though it was years ago, G3 insisted on sending the picture with the letter. He’s desperately hoping for a response. Last year, he wrote a letter to Trevor Noah and was very disappointed that Noah didn’t respond. He asked me if I thought there was more of a chance Booker would answer him. I doubt he will. Politicians, as well as celebrities, alway seem too busy to care about what kids — or even the average person — have to say. But we’ll see.

Anyway, it would be lovely if Booker acknowledged his letter, but since I don’t have much faith in Booker reading it, I’ll share it with you so that someone will read what G3 took the time to write.

Dear Senator Booker,

We have met before. I was very young and had no idea who you were. I think I thought  you were just a strange man. Now, I am a lot older and I am a Boy Scout. I am twelve years old and I am in 6th grade. I love to read horror stories and study Taekwondo.

I want to talk to you about gun laws. When COVID hit, my moms pulled me out of school to homeschool me in order to keep me safe. One of my moms always watches the news and almost every month there is another school shooting. As you know, the recent shooting in Michigan shows that anyone could prance into a school with a gun — even someone you might consider a friend. This gets me and my other mom (who is a teacher) worried because she could be shot by one of her students. Also, when I go back to school, I fear that some lunatic will come in and shoot people. Since I am lucky enough to know Taekwondo, I am capable of some self defense, but no matter how good I may be at kicking and punching, it won’t help me against a gun. There are thousands of kids like me all around America who may be killed or have a friend who could get killed. What are you doing to make sure something like this doesn’t happen to me, or any one else in N. J. and the rest of America? Also what can you do to ensure that schools are a safe place to learn? I want to go back to school, but I’m also scared. At home, I won’t get shot. But at home, I don’t have the same opportunities to make friends as I would in school.

Please keep me safe. Please do something so that my mothers will send me back to school and not have to worry about me dying. Thank you.

Sincerely,

G III