Last week, my son Desmond went back to school. At 12, he’s starting sixth grade and his final year of elementary school before we step into the hyperdrive that is middle and high school. The inspiration for this newsletter was a desire for connection with my son as he heads into his tweens. Not just because I like the kid, but because I wanted to ensure I’m doing everything I can to prepare Desmond for stepping into a wider world with the ability to meet puberty, peer pressure, and independence as a critical thinker. 

This summer has been an inflection point for us and, I hope, for you as you’ve read along. For my part, I’ve had tough but satisfying conversations with Des about the Supreme Court’s Roe decision, isolation and depression, and why it's so important to question those we idolize. 

Some weeks, this newsletter gave me the chance to learn from Desmond — and an all-star lineup of guest writers. Alanna Okun’s piece about the benefits of gaming led to an EXTENDED explanation of Splatoon from Des which means I am, of course, as excited as he is about next weekend’s Splatoon 3 release. Rebecca Jennings’s practical advice for parents of wannabe influencers led to a conversation about why Des would never want to go down that path. Kelsey Piper’s first-person story about raising kids who want to do good gave me the playbook I needed to help Des as he figures out how, and why, to act on his convictions.

In case you missed a week, all of this summer’s newsletters are linked below. ↓

Thanks to all of you for joining me on this journey. We may be back, but in the meantime, keep in touch. I’d love to hear from you about whether this newsletter was useful — and how it could have been more so. Send me your thoughts at liz@vox.com.

Me and Desmond in the Mojave Desert last spring. (Courtesy of Matt Nelson)

Every issue of Extra Curricula:

• An introduction to Extra Curricula
• Isolation and your teen 
• Talking to your kids about Roe and their rights 
• Kids who read are nicer 
• Who your kid looks up to online matters
• Video games can actually benefit kids 
• Empowering kids to do good 
• So your kid wants to become an influencer 

Today, Explained to Kids answers questions about how to make the future better through the way we eat, care for our environment, listen to each other, and more.  Listen to all four new episodes with the young people in your life, and then download our educational activities that build on what we learned in each episode.

Read the web version of this newsletter here .

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