Letter to my Children: Paper airplanes

“I can’t help not making paper airplanes. If there is a spare piece of paper, even if it has stuff on it, I just wanna fold it. I like folding ‘em. I like experimenting making new shapes.”

Dragon’s obsession is strewn all over our living space - as we eke out our final weeks of inside living before spring frolics.

I have spent the last few weeks tripping across paper airplanes. Small ones, big ones, bigger ones (4x4 papers), and even an attempt at a HUGE one (10x10 papers was too big for liftoff).

They make me happy (well, not the tripping, but the rest of it.)

Recently we were waiting for your sister at soccer and out came the paper.

“You made that one fly so far!”

“It is spiraling.”

“Spiraling?”

“You know when you throw a football you use your pointer to do a good spiral?”

Well, I know the theory, but my football throwing skills are mediocre at best. “Yeah. In theory, yes.”

The next day paper airplanes littered the bedroom while the smell of breakfast wafted downstairs.

“Augh, how do you do it?!” Bean exclaimed.

I interjected. “Dragon, you told me that you either throw them really fast or you try to twirl it?”

“Yea.”

Bean tried again. The airplane flopped down after 2 feet. “How to do you twirl it?!”

Dragon held one and threw it. “See, when you just throw it slow, it doesn’t work.” He grabbed another. “When you twirl it…” The paper bounced off the far window.

Bean tried again.

“There you go Dilly Bean!”

Thank you Dragon for experimenting with different folds, different ways to throw, different sizes, different weight paper. Thank you for futzing and trying and being curious.

Thank you for stacking five of them on top of each other and throwing them all at once - zapping and zipping across the living room.

Thank you for teaching us how to twirl the small ones.

Next step - tracking them down and putting them away when we are finished playing with them.