To celebrate Mother’s Day, The New York Times is talking to kids.
This Sunday (May 14), the newspaper will include a special print-only kids’ section, the latest in a series of specials that also included a puzzle section in December. Times special projects editor Caitlin Roper told Women’s Wear Daily that, more than anything, the sections aim to “surprise and delight.”
Sunday’s kids’ section is for kids only—the front-page editor’s note says it “should not be read by grown-ups”—but Quartz managed to get ahold of the inaugural letter from the editor. (Sorry, we can’t disclose our child sources.) Here it is in full:
How do you do, fellow kids?
Now that the parents are gone, let’s talk like friends. Bros. Besties. Fam.
Do your parents seem stressed lately? Actually, do all the adults in your life seem stressed? You’re not imagining it. Things are a bit crazy in America right now—the world, really—and crazy times mean headaches for grown-ups.
Your parents may not tell you when they’re stressed out, or why, but we at The New York Times get that you’re mature. You’ve read all the Harry Potter books—I mean, Snape kills Dumbledore!—and you’re hella dope with an iPad. That’s why we want to talk to you directly about all the stuff that’s going on in the world. We want to answer your questions about politics, science, and the social psychology of coed dances. Here are just a few of the coverage areas you can expect from our special kids’ edition:
- The New Hula Hoops: an in-depth look at fidget spinners (see past coverage: here and here)
- Six Feet Under: a series on parts of the world that will be underwater by the time you grow up
- Outside: an examination of wtf people do out there
- Do You Like Like Me? Circle Yes Or No: a section on relationships
Plus:
- Best homework productivity hacks
- Why all the cool kids hang out in Brooklyn
- A second life for peas you hid in your napkin (spoiler, it’s guacamole)
- Managing up in middle school
- The show-and-tell presentation that will get you into Harvard
Now, we know it’s weird to read without a screen, on a foreign material unaffected by taps or swipes. We know nothing on these pages lights up or trills or in any way notifies you that this content is shiny and exciting and optimized to your interests. We know there’s no way to share this section unless you literally hand it to someone else. But listen, try it out anyway. Remember when you thought you didn’t like spinach and then your mom made that quiche? That was pretty cool.
Sincerely,
The New York Times special projects team