Una Carta de Carlitos

Remember my kid? Well, if not, go here first then hurry right back. I got a letter from Carlos, er, his mom because he's not old enough to write letters yet. This is technically the second letter from Chile, but as I was in the middle of script-writing madness, I missed writing about the last one. His mom is so proud of his intelligence; in fact, apparently the whole family is intelligent, even the dog. Actually, she emphasizes that the dog is "very" intelligent.

Even though there are only two letters per year, it's still quite extraordinary to get a response from someone living in not only a completely separate hemisphere but also a completely different state of being. Nonetheless, it seems education is transcending all ways of life. Carlos is excelling in his early classes and is showing a knack for sports and art. Eeexcellent... Padrino Kyle may have to find ways of fostering these talents.

I'm trying to figure out what to write next. I've been practicing writing in Spanish, which has been fun, and I've been sending pictures from my adventures. Of course, for me, it's dreadfully difficult to write at a 6-year old's level, though I was able to ask him last time whether "Hay nieve allá durante el invierno?" to which his mom replied "No tenemos nieve. Ya que solo en la cordillera nieva. Él aún no lo conoce." She says she is very proud of me for graduating college. I think she has the same dream for Carlitos. I have no idea whether Carlos' older brother, who is my age, has graduated college. Maybe I'll ask that in the upcoming letter. Oh, and he colored a picture of an elephant for me. I'll have to add it later, once I've unpacked my scanner. Warm fuzzies.

My Kid

The focus of this blog will soon shift into the realm of boundary setting, following the guidance of this marvelous book I've just completed; however, before I do, I would like to refer to a recent violation of my boundaries in which I was approached on the street and told that I would, then and there, sponsor a child with Children International.

Lacking the ability to say no, I caved, even though I was not sure I wanted to or could do it. I then spent the next two weeks resenting the decision and telling myself to get out of it as soon as possible. I'd keep forgetting, and so, inevitably, I got the packet in the mail. Ergo...

This is Carlos:

Carlos is 6 years old. He lives in Chile. He loves soccer and art. His family makes $160 a month. But I... But boundaries... But... Okay, I confess. This kid's cuter than an armadillo wearing spectacles and a cravat. Apparently he's going to write me a letter in a few weeks. Then how do I respond to a 6-year old? I don't think he'll have much appreciation for an onslaught of my average existential drivel, so maybe I'll stick to drawing him pictures. Lots of pictures. Of el PieGrande.

I'm going to give this another chance as long as I can handle it. This could turn into a really cool experience, as I'll basically be helping raise a kid who has nothing. Who knows? Maybe he'll grow up to be artsy fartsy like his Unky Kyle. (Wouldn't recommend it, kiddo.) I'll add updates here as I get them, probably starting in three weeks or so.