Snarky MommyFinding the humor in parentingHomeAboutBooks By Amy SprengerMedia kitJack: Ten YearsAmy » 08 February 2016 » In Kids » No CommentsDear Jack,Clearly this should be a 10.5-year post because that’s when I am actually writing it, but life got in the way this year. And because I didn’t want to end this yearly tradition on an odd number, I figured I better get a 10-year post up so we can end with a nice, round decade of posts. Back-dating is a beautiful thing.I couldn’t let this momentous occasion pass without comment because WOW has this year been phenomenal. Last summer we spent a month in Europe with you and your sisters and grandparents and it was amazing. We visited France, Spain, Italy, Croatia, Turkey, Montenegro and Greece. We saw ancient ruins, ate our weight in gelato, weathered the worst heat wave in recorded Parisian history, walked hundreds of miles, cruised the Mediterranean on a ship and endured what I can only describe as some of the most hellacious behavior ever. There was plenty of fun, but also plenty of non-fun.But when we arrived back home and you started fourth grade, it was as if the heavens themselves shone down upon us. You became a different child almost overnight. Personal responsibility? Check. Improved attitude? Check. Empathetic responses to situations? Check. Maturity? Check. I could go on and on. I give mad props to your incredible teacher for this change, but I know in reality that it was you who did the hard work. Everyone told us you would grow up, that you would figure it out. And we waited, sometimes impatiently, for that day to come. And now that it’s here, it’s oh so sweet.This was also the year you started putting it all together in soccer. In the past, you subscribed to the “power right through them” theory of play, which worked well when you were younger and bigger than the other kids. But now, especially in travel soccer, the kids are good enough to use tricks and footwork to get around you. And suddenly, powering by people wasn’t an option anymore. So you started doing the hard work to get better. And you fell in love with goalkeeping. And that’s when it all clicked for you. People say it takes a special kind of mindset to be a goalie — you need to be able to shake off mistakes, to direct the people in front of you, to trust in your instincts and love being the center of attention. And you’ve harnessed all of those things this season, securing a spot on one of the top teams in your age group for next year. We couldn’t be prouder of you and your efforts — attending up to four practices a week because you want to, not because we make you. It also makes us chuckle that you prefer to be called “Jackson” at sports and we’re the only people who cheer for “Jack” at the fields. We say it’s your sports persona.Your love of sports doesn’t stop when you step off the soccer