This became real for me recently. My grandmother sends handwritten letters to my kids for birthdays and holidays, always in beautiful cursive writing.
My oldest is 10 and came to me with a letter saying, 'Mom, I can't read this.' I sat down with her and realized she genuinely couldn't decipher cursive—she's never been taught. We had to sound out each word together like it was a foreign language. It made me sad, honestly. Those letters are a connection to her great-grandmother, and the form itself is part of that connection.
I've heard similar stories from others about kids unable to read historical documents or family letters . I'm not necessarily arguing that cursive needs to be taught for its own sake, but there's something about losing the ability to read our own recent history that feels like a loss.
Has anyone else had this experience with older relatives? Did you try to teach your kids to read cursive even if they don't write it?
My oldest is 10 and came to me with a letter saying, 'Mom, I can't read this.' I sat down with her and realized she genuinely couldn't decipher cursive—she's never been taught. We had to sound out each word together like it was a foreign language. It made me sad, honestly. Those letters are a connection to her great-grandmother, and the form itself is part of that connection.
I've heard similar stories from others about kids unable to read historical documents or family letters . I'm not necessarily arguing that cursive needs to be taught for its own sake, but there's something about losing the ability to read our own recent history that feels like a loss.
Has anyone else had this experience with older relatives? Did you try to teach your kids to read cursive even if they don't write it?
In my Texas college, we had some cool courses on calligraphy that helped me appreciate cursive more. Do y'all have any Texas colleges that offer unique classes like that? It's amazing how Texas education can blend creativity and tradition. Keep cherishing those handwritten letters! 