Hudson,
We have been going through a lot of tests, interviews, school tours and crazy applications to get you into the best school we can. It is crazy here in Dallas. You have to get on these school lists before you are out of the womb. CRAZZZZY! I got a great education growing up and my parents did not have to go through all of this.
This is the month we hear from all the schools. So, it is nerve wracking, however, I am not really worried. You are only 2 years and 11 months old. We would be fine if you stayed in Saint Michael another year. You like it there so much and it is great school, however, you will not have Ms. Elizabeth next year and you might be heart broken. You love her.
So, we got our first letter today and you were accepted to the Episcopal School of Dallas (ESD)! They had told us they would email results today from 4 to 5pm and Mommy and Daddy were so proud when we received that email!! So proud!!!!! It was great to get that first letter and it be a yes, however, we would have been fine and just as proud of you if had been a no. That's for sure.
We have done a lot to get into ESD. The application process was nuts. It was like a college one. I had to write long essays and I wasn't even sure what to write, but I worked hard and did my best. You had to take a speech test, you had a private interview and also a playdate/interview - this is where you go with other kids, play in a classroom, and the teachers interact and observe. I didn't get to go with you to the playdate interviews. It's all ridiculous really. You had to do all this before you were 3, but none of it was painful and you thought most of it was fun. You walked out of every playdate/interview with a huge smile and told me you had fun. I called them playdate meetings - meetings like Daddy and Mommy have. You woke up one morning saying, "Mommy do we have any playdate meetings today?" Seriously, too funny, or is it ridiculous? You're not even 3!
I knew you did well in all your interviews at ESD. I knew it! I stood out side while you were doing your private one with a woman named Ashley Beck. You were hilarious and she kept saying, "You're a funny little guy." You answered everything correctly. I was so proud! When you went to your playdate meeting, Ashley was there to greet you and you went straight into her arms, and hugged her. I heard her say, "You're a lover. I love sweet guys like you." I mean it was so sweet. I could not have been prouder, because believe me, there are days when you see people or meet people and you say, "NO!" So, I was like, "Thank God." It's like you knew. Boy, you can turn on the charm Hudson and you love girls. It helped that Ashley was a pretty lady and I am not kidding! You are going to be trouble!
A week ago, I dropped you off at school and Ms. Elizabeth told me that Ashley walked all the way over (ESD and Saint Michael are connected) to tell Ms Elizabeth that she loved you! Ms. Elizabeth says to me, "So apparently, ESD is in love with Hudson. Ashley walked down here to tell me what a wonderful little boy he was." I was so very proud!!!! I was more proud that you were thought of as nice, sweet and funny, much more than I was proud of you for being smart, however you are smart - VERY. BUT, first and foremost, I want you to be nice, humble and helpful to others, before anything - before good schools or good grades - BE A KIND PERSON AND TREAT OTHERS AS YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE TREATED.
One last thing about the admission process to ESD. You have to take a speech test. They want to see what you understand and how well you talk. Well, you had taken a speech test many months prior, which was for another school we were applying to - St. Alcuin Montessori. I had told ESD that you had already taken a speech test for another school and I asked if I could submit that one. ESD told me that if I was confident and I thought you did well, I could submit it - it was up to me. The lady at ESD told me that many parents like to wait as long as they can, because your when you a baby, every month, every day counts. You are a totally different person from month to month. It's fascinating. Anyhow, I was very confident that you did well. I was right, because you got accepted! You had done that speech test when you had just turned 2. Hudson, you have always been so verbal and were talking in sentences very early on. No one could believe how well you spoke at such a young age. You have a vast vocabulary for your age.
All this being said, I am very conflicted on whether I want you to go to ESD. Now, is that crazy or what? Daddy and I have to do some soul searching. You would go there until you are a senior in high school, so you will be with all the same kids for many years. I think there are positives and negatives about that. Also, it is a very ritzy, private, somewhat homogeneous school. This, I don't love. All I really want for you is culture and diversity. That is very hard to find here in Dallas, Texas. Heck, I would be raising you in New York City if it was up to me! You must always remember that we are not alone. We must try to understand and be open to other cultures. There is a whole big world out there. Be curious. Be adventurous (you are) I want you to go to school with all different kids of people, because we live in a global world. B the time you are 20, it will be smaller and even more global.
I love you my little adventurer,
Hudson
p.s. when we were choosing your name, we found somewhere on the Internet that Hudson meant "adventurer." PERFECT.
p.s.s. You were named after the famous river that flows along the West side of New York City. Mommy spent many many days gazing out along this River. It is a very special river to me. The Hudson River was named for the famous explorer and navigator, Henry Hudson, - another adventurous soul.
