The Scent Inside the Letters: Gege's Handwriting Book and His Secrets

Today is Friday, and neither Gege nor Meimei has school. This week is their long weekend at their school in Thailand.

It's rare to have such a long stretch of time to relax. After a morning of rough-and-tumble play, Meimei has gone down for her nap. Gege has quietened down and is curled up in his room.

I went in, and he said to me:

👦🏻 "I have lots of books. Do you want to go find one to read?"

I said yes.

He leafed through his bookshelf, took out a handwriting practice book, and handed it to me.

It was the handwriting book he had to write in every day at his school in Vancouver.

Before I opened it, Gege gently held the book up to his nose and sniffed it.

He said the book held lots of smells he used to know.

I turned the pages one by one, from A to B to C. Each page had one big letter, and below it his childish handwriting and drawings.

Beside each letter the teacher would write a word or two, and the children would write the letter, learn the words, and draw a picture all at once.

📖 On the A page was written Apple Juice.

I suddenly remembered how much he loved apple juice back then.

On the B and C pages the teacher hadn't written any words; perhaps things were rushed at the time, or perhaps there was some other reason.

Turning and turning, I came to K: Kite and Kangaroo.

He had drawn a lovely kite, and a floating kangaroo that looked like some sea creature.

At the L page I stopped for a long time.

✏️ He had written lettuce, Luca (a good friend's name), lock, and LOVE.

The word LOVE had been written by the teacher, and Gege had copied it in very big letters, tracing it out all wobbly and crooked.

But beside every letter, the teacher had drawn a little heart.

Gege said, "These are little hearts the teacher gave me because the teacher loves me and likes me."

Only then did I understand that, for a child, every letter hides a scent, a person, a bit of feeling, and the teacher's love for them.

Looking at the drawings, I asked Gege:

"You drew so many little pictures. On every page there are some things I can't quite make out. What are they?"

He smiled and said:

👦🏻 "When I was in class, I drew secret pictures on every page. Only my good friends and I know what they are. The teacher doesn't know."

I asked him:

"Then will you show only me?"

He thought for a moment and said:

"I kind of forgot what they mean."

I said to him:

🌿 "That's all right. When you drew them, it was enough that you and your friends understood. You've already remembered how they smell."

Some memories are drawn, not written.

Some feelings are a scent, a colour, a secret language only you know.

A child's world hides in those little pictures whose meaning he no longer remembers, in that familiar scent when he brings his nose close to the paper.

📦 I've tucked this moment away in my heart, and given it a name:

The Scent Inside the Letters.

🕰️ 2025.10.24 · Thailand · Afternoon

#HandwritingBookMemories #AChildsSecretPictures #ParentingObservations #FamilyTime #LeosNotebook