Kids' Letters to President Obama

826 National collected a number of letters written by kids for (then) incoming President Obama and published them in Thanks and Have Fun Running the Country: Kids' Letters to President Obama.

The letters continue to roll in, so McSweeny's is publishing some of them on their website.

A first set is up and they are a fun, and sometimes touching, read.

The letter that stuck with me was from 11 year-old Alex from Ann Arbor, MI. The kid shows thoughtfulness that surprised me. In particular, this passage:

Something unique about me is that I'm an honor-roll student with a grade average of 4.0. For fun, I like to climb high into my willow tree and then find a firm branch and sit on it. It is peaceful. Will you have a peaceful place to sit in the White House?

That's a pretty impressive insight and demonstration of self-awareness for a 11 year-old. Or at least it seemed like it for me.