An old treasure makes for a really interesting dilemma!

[jeff kushner]

Cleaning and packing the back-back room of my home yesterday with my Grandson-20. The room is 34x15 and houses motorcycle part, car parts, and as I'm learning....countless other treasures as we sift through the crush. You would not believe how many NOS parts I have for H1s and H2's. I had forgotten I had this much stuff!

Anyway.....we found a letter that his Mom wrote when she was 6 years old....she's 38 today. The letter from 1991 is fully intact and still sealed complete with her return address where we lived at the time hand written. The letter was to President Bush....the FIRST one!
Readers digest of the story was she knew I was going to see the President and she wanted to send him a letter. When I arrived I was told that no, I could not hand anything to him so of course I kept it. I'm sure that like every bad parent, I told her that I delivered it. I also called my ex today to see if she remembered anything about it...and she doesn't.

So the dilemma is ....do I call my oldest daughter and tell her that I have it and it's still unopened?

What if that had inspired her to do something she wouldn't have done?

There are a lot of interesting planes of concern.....I never lied to my kids, what if this is life-changing?

All in fun of course.....but I am wondering if I should give it to her, or not?

what would you do?

 

[Ink]

Cleaning and packing the back-back room of my home yesterday with my Grandson-20. The room is 34x15 and houses motorcycle part, car parts, and as I'm learning....countless other treasures as we sift through the crush. You would not believe how many NOS parts I have for H1s and H2's. I had forgotten I had this much stuff!

Anyway.....we found a letter that his Mom wrote when she was 6 years old....she's 38 today. The letter from 1991 is fully intact and still sealed complete with her return address where we lived at the time hand written. The letter was to President Bush....the FIRST one!
Readers digest of the story was she knew I was going to see the President and she wanted to send him a letter. When I arrived I was told that no, I could not hand anything to him so of course I kept it. I'm sure that like every bad parent, I told her that I delivered it. I also called my ex today to see if she remembered anything about it...and she doesn't.

So the dilemma is ....do I call my oldest daughter and tell her that I have it and it's still unopened?

What if that had inspired her to do something she wouldn't have done?

There are a lot of interesting planes of concern.....I never lied to my kids, what if this is life-changing?

All in fun of course.....but I am wondering if I should give it to her, or not?

what would you do?

Maybe wait and send it to a president she wants to meet. I'm not being political. Or try to send it to the other former president bush, if you think she would be interested.?

 

[wellington]

I would give it to her. She will not hold it against you if you tell her why it never got handed over. Every parent tells little white lies. Santa, tooth fairy, etc.
I think she will get a kick out of it, I know I would.

 

[Cathie G]

I think it might be nice to try and send it to a family member of the Bushes with a letter of explanation. And tell your daughter too. I can't believe any president of the US wouldn't be able to accept a 6 year old's letter to them. He probably didn't even know or have a part in the decision. Some people get carried away in stupid stuff like that.

 

[Yvonne G]

I'd open it and not mention anything about it to her.

 

[Chefdenoel10]

I would give it to her. She will not hold it against you if you tell her why it never got handed over. Every parent tells little white lies. Santa, tooth fairy, etc.
I think she will get a kick out of it, I know I would.

What da ya mean the tooth fairy AND Santa are white lies??

Ya mean the tooth fairy is not REAL???
And…..
And….
Ssss—aanta???

 

[wellington]

What da ya mean the tooth fairy AND Santa are white lies??

Ya mean the tooth fairy is not REAL???
And…..
And….
Ssss—aanta???

Sorry, I should have whispered that lol.
No, no, they are real

 

[SinLA]

I think it might be nice to try and send it to a family member of the Bushes with a letter of explanation. And tell your daughter too. I can't believe any president of the US wouldn't be able to accept a 6 year old's letter to them. He probably didn't even know or have a part in the decision. Some people get carried away in stupid stuff like that.

Love that idea!

I think I would try and send it to the second President Bush with an explanation. I know it might seem weird since he was "also" president, but I sort of feel like this is the kind of thing they'd be into and would respond to (even if a form letter, but possibly not). I don't expect being retired he gets *all* that much mail like this these days, so you never know!

 

[Cathie G]

Love that idea!

I think I would try and send it to the second President Bush with an explanation. I know it might seem weird since he was "also" president, but I sort of feel like this is the kind of thing they'd be into and would respond to (even if a form letter, but possibly not). I don't expect being retired he gets *all* that much mail like this these days, so you never know!

Yes. They are a family after all. Why would anyone deny the president a heartfelt letter from a 6 year old?! I'm pretty sure he doesn't need that kind of protection.

 

[SinLA]

Yes. They are a family after all. Why would anyone deny the president a heartfelt letter from a 6 year old?! I'm pretty sure he doesn't need that kind of protection.

I suspect all sitting presidents get TONS of mail from kids, they probably screen it to a few a month that he actually responds to, and the rest is a form letter.

 

[wellington]

Yes. They are a family after all. Why would anyone deny the president a heartfelt letter from a 6 year old?! I'm pretty sure he doesn't need that kind of protection.

Lol, oh yeah they do. They all have secret service even when they are no longer president. Them opening a letter is not safe. Being told it's from a 6 year old but handed over by an adult, I'm sure has been tried or thought of many times with ill intent.
All mail I'm sure is carefully screen and examined before the president even gets it.

 

[Cathie G]

Lol, oh yeah they do. They all have secret service even when they are no longer president. Them opening a letter is not safe. Being told it's from a 6 year old but handed over by an adult, I'm sure has been tried or thought of many times with ill intent.
All mail I'm sure is carefully screen and examined before the president even gets it.

And well my brother was able to present a painting to the future president Obama in person and the other guy too. I think since Jeff was able to be that close to the president his 6 year old daughter's heartfelt letter should have been able to be given to the president also. I think our president at that time had stupid secret agent men.

 

[SinLA]

I think if @jeff kushner mails it to Bush Jr, along with a note telling the story, it would make it to him. I'm sure scanned for anthrax, etc first, but it would get there eventually. Looks like you can send to his presidential library:

Contact George W. Bush | George W. Bush Library

Frequently asked questions about George W. Bush and the Presidential Library and Museum.

www.georgewbushlibrary.gov

 

[SinLA]

Also this is now my 2,000 post! Who knew it would be about President Bush!

 

[Cathie G]

Also this is now my 2,000 post! Who knew it would be about President Bush!

And it's not political. It's a family thing

 

[wellington]

And well my brother was able to present a painting to the future president Obama in person and the other guy too. I think since Jeff was able to be that close to the president his 6 year old daughter's heartfelt letter should have been able to be given to the president also. I think our president at that time had stupid secret agent men.

I'm sure there was some investigating done ahead of time. You or your brother may not know about it, but I'm sure it was done. If not, that's a big slip up on the secret service and a bunch of others.
You and I and likely most everyone on here has no bad intentions towards any president but there are a lot of people that do, both in and out of this country.

 

[Cathie G]

I just hope Jeff will try again first. He had clearance.to be close to the president. I really believe the letter could have been given to the president and he would have enjoyed it. Something very simple and human in his crazy day. Since Jeff was vetted every single member of his family was also. Been there done that.

 

[TammyJ]

I agree with Yvonne. I would not mention anything about it to my daughter. You lied to her to make her happy when she was little, and that's ok. If she has forgotten about it now, then that's fine too.

 

[COmtnLady]

She has probably completely forgotten it. But I would open it and see what a six year old wanted to say to a President.

I'd then stash it in the bottom of my sock drawer (tape it to the bottom of the drawer? or someplace similar) so that I was dead and gone before she could find it. In some ways its very much family history. Hopefully she would take it all in stride.

If its really cute, or sincerely interesting, perhaps send to his library with the explanation you wrote here... that way you sort of fulfilled her wishes - several decades later, but why quibble... Who knows, the library might make it into a human interest story and there'd be a bit about it on 60 Minutes or something.