A fellow writer in my writer’s group has an eleven-year-old son who will soon be undergoing surgery to remove a brain tumor. She sent out a request on Facebook inviting people to send her son cards, as they brighten up his day considerably.

I told Andie and Rachel about him today and asked them if they’d like to write to him. They both jumped right on it, eager to try to bring some cheer to a fellow eleven-year-old.

As they put the last touches on their masterpieces, they began squabbling over which one of them should ask him to be their pen pal. I finally intervened, saying that he might not want to be anyone’s pen pal, let alone two girls he’s never met, but that they could both ask him.

“I wish I had a pen pal,” sighed Andie. “Does a pen pal have to be someone you don’t know?”

“No,” I said. “You can know them. I had a pen pal that I was friends with before my family moved away. That’s why we became pen pals.”

“I’d rather write to someone I don’t know,” she said. “It’s more fun to tell someone about yourself and find out about them too.”

I thought back then to all the pen pals I’ve had over the years. A few were through school, but they were mostly short-term friends collected in all the different places I’ve lived and visited. How much fun it was to ask and answer questions: Who’s your boyfriend? What’s your favorite color? Food? Animal? Movie?

The best part was knowing that there just might be a fat envelope with my name on it in the mailbox. Getting the mail was an event when I was growing up.

Now? Not so much. The only person I get handwritten letters from anymore is my 97-year-old grandmother (which is a joy, but very rare).

There’s something beautiful about handwritten letters, something that kids these days are really missing out on. There’s nothing like the experience of having to wait patiently to hear back from your far-away friends and being rewarded with the sheer delight of finally, and sometimes unexpectedly, receiving that reply you’ve been dying to get.

With that in mind, I announced to the girls that I will post a request on my writer’s group for a pen pal for each of them. Not an email pal, a pen pal. Considering the audience (writers), I’m probably more likely to strike gold with this request. I’d love for my girls to have the old-fashioned fun and excitement that having a pen pal brings.

Wait, did I just say “old-fashioned?”

Wow. I do believe that’s the first time I’ve used that term in conjunction with my childhood experiences.

Sigh.

Sadly, I’m sure it won’t be the last.

Did you have pen pals growing up? Do you think it’s an experience your kids would enjoy now or in the future?

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