The Power of a Pen Pal Project

0

The Power of a Pen Pal Project | Columbia SC Moms BlogIt was recently Universal Letter Writing week, which had me wondering:

Does anyone still take actual pen to paper?

So I did what any tech dependent would, I posted my question on Facebook:

Anyone out there have a Pen Pal?

It turns out, they do! And I wish I did also.

Merriam Webster defines a Pen Pal as a friend made and kept through correspondence. It’s by nature an adventure started with someone you don’t know. 

That’s a recipe for a good grade school project right there; combining lessons on the grammatical form of letter writing and the social norms of meeting someone new. It’s no wonder that Pen Pal projects often begin as school assignments. 

But I had no idea that some continued for years. 

My friend Karolynn, a mother of two boys, replied to my Facebook post by saying:

“I’ve had the same pen pal since sixth grade…”

Karolynn is not as old as me, but still, since sixth grade is a lot of letter writing years! 

I probed a bit more and found that Karolynn’s sixth grade teacher had a son in the military. The class sent Christmas cards to soldiers stationed overseas that year. I’m pretty sure my eyes grew wide and my mouth dropped open a bit when I kept reading. 

Letters. Gift packages. Travels. Family meetings. Keepsakes. Oh, my!

It’s not too late for me! I could be an older sister, or ok, second mama, to a Pen Pal somewhere. And it’s just the right time for my fifth grader to begin. 

I don’t even have to go far to find a name and address of someone in the military I can connect with. My church keeps a list of those connected to our parish who are serving and I don’t know any of them – yet. 

But I hope to get to know one of them as their Pen Pal. And I hope we have a story as long lasting as Karolynn’s one day. 

Karolynn says, “There’s something more thoughtful and personal about a letter than a text.” Would your child agree? Do you have a Pen Pal story to share?

 
Previous articleWhen Heart Disease Hits Home :: A Real Life Story
Next articleA Day in the Life of All That Went Wrong
Melanie McGehee
Melanie McGehee never knew she wanted to be a mom. Even marriage caught her somewhat by surprise, in spite of the fact that she met husband Andy through a matchmaking service. She thanked eharmony by writing about that experience for an anthology, A Cup of Comfort for Women in Love. Almost two years to the day after marrying him, she stared at two pink lines and wondered aloud, “Is this okay?” His response, “Kind of late to be asking that now.” It was a bit late – in life. But at the advanced maternal age of 35, she delivered by surprise at 35 weeks and an emergency C-section, a healthy baby boy. Ian, like Melanie, is an only child. She’s written much about him during her years with the blog, but he’s now a teenager. Please, don’t do the math. It’s true. Momming in middle age is the best!

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here