Does anyone write letters to pen friends?

With so much concern about the lost art of handwriting and increased emphasis on typing skills, it makes this mom wonder.

Our youngest child has a pen pal, or pen friend (as his letter-writing pal in Ethiopia calls it) and commented that it is a neat surprise to get something in the mail.

His parents then add that it is a neat surprise to see something in the mail besides bills.

With the Internet, you can find a bunch of pen friends, but the challenge then comes of: “What do I write?”

The son, age 11, asks that question each time he gets a letter and is planning to “write back right away.”

Know any middle school students who have a similar problem?

Yes, even the 13-year-old faced that challenge when she was younger.

So I started asking the younger one a few things and told him I don’t need answers right away, I just want you to think about the answers. Then, I asked him, what did all of the things I said to you have in common?

“They are questions?” he said.

Yes. That is how you get a dialogue going. You ask lots of questions.

What are you curious about regarding their country and the way they live?

That will get those young brains working.

His friend in Ethiopia and he have written back and forth a couple of times over the past few months and now he has the opposite problem as he answers the pen pal’s many basic questions: He says he doesn’t want to begin each sentence with the word “I” in response to the questions specifically about him.

Meanwhile, the daughter is writing to the 13-year-old child of a childhood pen pal of mine.

Both admit it is exciting to get a letter in the mail from a foreign country.

Oh, by the way, he is still looking for a pen pal from Japan.

Does anyone have any connections there? One we can verify (through their parents) that the boy is around the age of our own son?

If so, e-mail them my way: rsimpson@daily-journal.com.

In too many cases, adults are writing and saying they are kids and that is downright creepy. We parents can usually tell the difference.

Additional ideas:

The day after he wrote the Ethiopian pal the last time he came up with a list of questions to make the next letter-writing time go smoother.

Try these (spread out over several letters, of course):

What are your favorite foods?

Do you have any brothers or sisters?

What is your favorite subject in school?

What is your favorite game to play outside? (If it is one you have never heard of, next time plan to ask them how to play the game.)

Do you play a musical instrument?

Do you live in a city or in the country?

What is the weather usually like there this time of the year?

Do you ride a bus to school? (If not, how do you get to school?)

What are some of your hobbies? (If they say reading, ask them what are some of their favorite books or favorite book series.)

Do you have any pets?

It always helps to avoid questions where the answer is simply yes or no. And, try not to ask things that are too personal or offensive.