I’ve been putting things off all day, trying to do what I’ve deemed necessary before I allow myself to do what I find fun. This strategy has mostly been making me anxious as time slips through my fingers: it’s almost 5:30 and the chore-like bits aren’t done. Luckily, I just found a slice of life so good that it simply must be shared, so I’m giving up on cleaning and starting on fun. Here, take a peek into my life at the end of third grade.
Just in case you can’t read my almost-fourth-grade handwriting, here goes:
AMANDA JUNE 8, 1980
Dear Grandpa, and grandma
I passed into 4rth grade.
So far I’ve lost 7 teeth and one’s wiggiling.
I hope you have a nice day! I got some new thongs yesterday. (they are green)
I hurt my big toe too. (yesterday)
My sisters are real brats.
Even my mother is a brat.
I didn’t even bother to sign it – though I did draw a giant smiley face. I guess I figured they would know who I was – the one who wasn’t a brat.
Persistence and Pedagogy 
This is priceless! Isn’t great to find those treasures? I bet you are still the one who isn’t the brat! 😉
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Obviously! But don’t tell my sisters! 😆
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*Oh how I relate to your initial sentiments of putting off the fun stuff until the chore stuff is completed. Your note made me smile and inspires me to revisit some of my old writing to use as slice material. The simple excitement of loosing teeth especially adds to the innocence and charm of this slice!
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So fun! Classic fourth grade attitude…I feel like this would be something Wren would currently write!
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I knew there was something I liked about Wren 😉
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What a treasure! We have been going through some old papers and things, but I have not found anything as wonderful as that letter.
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I love your third grade writer self. I take it *thongs* are flip flops and not those Victoria’s Secret things! Ha! Not sure grandpa needs to know about those! Never forget: Chores can wait. Not so much writing.
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These are so much fun to find!
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OMG! This is going to keep me going for a few days! Love finding out who we were when we were young. Are your sisters still brats? Mine certainly is. Haha. I thought this was going in a way different direction when I read this perfectly relatable line: “This strategy has mostly been making me anxious as time slips through my fingers: it’s almost 5:30 and the chore-like bits aren’t done.” I just love the sound of “chore-like bits”-almost makes them sound fun. Thanks for sharing this little glimpse into the mind of “4rth” grade Amanda!
Oh! I’m sure you saw that your exemplary writing was on display the other day! Of course it was! Yay, you!
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Love it! I love reading stuff I wrote as a kid!
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See you’ve always been a writer. I love the part about the teeth and one’s wriggling. I was one of those kids who talked a lot about my boo boos.
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Amanda, it is wonderful that you kept this 4th-grade creation. Writing started a long time ago. Thank you for sharing that sweet little poem note. The inclusion of the word brat made the poem unique and extra special.
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Your 4th-grade cursive and present-grade procrastination skills both seem excellent. I’m wondering if you happen to remember whether this epistle was crafted with multiple pens or one of those thick jobbies where the writer could click to deploy one of several different colored ink nibs.
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Someone has already used the word, but it really is priceless! How amazing to still have examples of your 3rd grade work. This was worth putting off the chores for!
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What a fun treasure to find!
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That is so wonderful that you have this treasure from your past. You get an A for that letter, all spelling and grammar correct.
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Great stuff. Wonder what your mom did to earn the brat title? I think you did sign the letter, though. It’s just that you put it at the top of the page. I remember when I was having my class write letters home at the end of every week, and I happened to find a whole stash of my letters home from camp. I was sure that I could use them as great exemplars for my class….until I read them. They were fun for me, but definitely not exemplary. I mostly bragged about how much pie I was able to eat. Still, maybe I should unearth them for this same purpose…comedy and that window into who I was and what was important then.
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This is hilarious and I’d love to see someone graph these ideas as an emotional plot line. You can see how the politeness turns once you are coming to the end of writing but have things to say! Love this idea and you have always been a writer.
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Thank you Amanda! When I saw the initial image, and how neat your handwriting was, I immediately assumed the “other” thong…..
On a more serious note, one of the best gifts my grandmother bequeathed me was a bundle of all the letters I had written to her over the years. This is a reminder to us to preserve for our children and grandchildren those artifacts that will bring them joy as adults (and we can do so much more easily now with digital tech).
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