Here's the first three of the letters Clark mentioned on his wedding night with Lois in Learning to Love. Comments, if warranted, can go in the FDK thread for LtL 10 unless someone has an overwhelming desire to start a separate thread. There are 15 total letters written or planned. I'm not sure when they'll all be posted but...
Thanks, as always, to Alisha for BRing these. I took one of her suggestions and changed some stuff, but never sent it back so if it's... off, it's not her fault.
Remember, these are written in early 1976 when Clark is 10 and Martha is trying to impart some wisdom/whatever to her son after she's gone, so this isn't the Martha we met in the series, but one 20 years younger with a preteen
. And some of what she says is based on what Jor-El told them but Clark doesn't know when he reads these so you don't either
.
Learning to Love: The Martha Letters
*****
1. First Letter
Clark,
My son. The son we never thought we'd have.
I don't know how old you'll be when you read this. You're turning ten next week and I hope to be around for many more years. If I'm so blessed, then I'll probably rewrite at least this letter and probably some of the others and some of them won't be needed at all. I pray that's the case.
If you're reading this letter, though, it means I, and possibly your Dad, died when you were still young. I'm going to leave these with Wayne and Maggie and let them decide when it's appropriate to give them to you.
It breaks my heart to think about leaving you behind while you're still growing up. I wish we could have told you more about your true heritage, but we can't. We don't know anything beyond the message that was with you. I hope, someday, somehow, you'll know more about your roots.
But, Clark, you're the miracle your Dad and I were afraid to hope for. The night we found you was the best night of our lives and it has been a privilege to be your mother all these years. I just wish I could be there to see you grow up. To see you get your driver's license, your first date, prom. To see you graduate and go off to college. To see you get married and become a father yourself. To hold my grandchildren. I've left letters to cover all of those occasions and more; to try to tell you the things I would if I were there.
I love you, Clark, and so does your Dad. Don't forget us, but move on with your life. Don't wallow in self-pity for losing your Mom and/or Dad so young. Don't use that as a crutch in life. Grow up. Follow your dreams. Be strong. Guard your heart. Learn to love.
We've both loved you since the beginning, Clark, and we'll love you till the end.
Love,
Mom
P.S. No dating till you're sixteen!!
~~~~~
 
2. Sixteenth Birthday
February 28, 1982
Clark,
Today you turn sixteen. I wish more than anything I could be there to see it.
Will you be able to get your driver's license? Will you have a car? I told Wayne once that I wanted him to make sure you had something, even if it was an old clunker. I had a friend in the foster care system – which is where you are if your Dad and I are both gone. She often came over and then disappeared for a while, down in the gully at your Grandpa Clark's house, just to be alone and think. I'm sure you need to be able to do the same, especially with what we know. There was more to that message than we ever told you, because we weren't sure what to make of it and we didn't want to scare you unnecessarily as a child. Find the bassinet we found you in and see if there's any more information there. I hope, for your sake, there is and that it will help you since Dad and I aren't there to do it.
I'm sure you're noticing girls by now. Be careful, Clark. Guard your heart. Don't be afraid to love, but don't love too easily either. That's what I fear most for you – that you'll give your heart to a girl who is unworthy of it and then she'll break it to a thousand pieces. You were such a tenderhearted child – always wanting to take care of everyone and everything around you and I'm afraid that might get you into trouble some day. Well, maybe not trouble, but that it will cause you heartache.
Now... the sex talk...
I wish your Dad and I had been there to talk to you about the birds and the bees. I'm sure someone has by now – or at least in health class. Don't listen to what the other kids say. Kids are full of all kinds of misinformation about stuff like that. A girl *can* get pregnant her first time. There is no form of truly safe birth control except abstinence. It can break your heart if it's not with the right person. There is – or should be – an emotional connection as well as a physical one and jumping into bed with your [that's the ubiquitous 'your' and not just you, son] girlfriend just because she wants to and you [the ubiquitous 'you'] have trouble controlling your hormones and want to look like a big man on campus is no excuse. Even if you both think it's going to be a purely physical thing it's not. Trust me on that.
Personally, for many reasons, I hope you [that's you – Clark – not the ubiquitous 'you' this time] decide to wait until you're in a very secure, steady, long term relationship with someone you can tell *anything* to – I'd like to tell you to wait until you're engaged or even married, but I know that's probably not reasonable or realistic. Not because I'm some puritanical, old-fashioned country girl – which I am to an extent, but that's not all I am – but because I worry about you. I worry about the bond you may well create with a girl, or a woman, when you share that with her and that if it ends for some reason... I think your heart would break more than most. Somehow, I know that you will connect with that person – whoever she is – on a level that you may not want to with anyone but your future wife. Remember, whoever your first experience is with – she is the one you will carry a part of for the rest of your life and you'll be giving her a part of you. Be sure. When you find your soulmate, you'll know. If you think, you guess, maybe... then it's not her. You'll just *know*. Trust me on that too.
So why do I want you to wait until you're engaged or married? Philosophically, I'm not opposed to sex before marriage [philosophically I'm not opposed to many things, but when it's your own child involved... Well, I'll talk about that another time]. But in your case especially, I think it might be wise, if for no other reason than there is no other birth control that's 100% effective. And with your heritage so uncertain at the time of this writing, I think it would behoove you to be more careful than most. This isn't something to take lightly regardless. I'll say more some other time, but I do have my reasons. Or maybe you'll find out things about your heritage that would show you why I feel that way.
Well, enough of that... Just be careful. Guard your heart. Learn to love.
I love you, Clark. And your Dad loves you too. You were the miracle we didn't know would come.
We've loved you since the beginning, son, and we'll love you till the end.
Happy Birthday.
Love,
Mom
P.S. You *can* date now
, but not until after you've read though the pamphlet I'm including with this about common misconceptions that teenagers have. Love you.
~~~~~ 
3. First Date
Dear Clark,
For all I know, it could be your sixteenth birthday still. We always said we didn't want you dating until you were sixteen and it's possible you and some girl have been waiting for the clock to strike midnight on Feb. 28, 1982 so that you could – with our blessing. Well, our blessing for the dating part anyway. I don't know about the girl.
I've tried to think who in Smallville I would want to see you end up with. I know there's a whole wide world out there and it's very possible, probable even, that your life mate isn’t found in Smallville or at least she wasn't at the time of this writing. No one comes to mind. Oh, there are plenty of lovely girls your age, but I just can't see you ending up with any of them at this point.
Oh, now, listen to me going on.
You have a date tonight – whenever tonight is – with a perfectly lovely young lady, who is probably someone we know. Everything I said in your birthday letter still applies, young man, so be a gentleman with her and with any other date you have in the future. Remember, she's someone's daughter. Treat her like you'd want a young man to treat your daughter, someday. That may be hard to imagine now, but try.
You're already growing up so fast. I try to imagine you as you'll look tonight. You'll be taller certainly, and you'll probably have filled out some. I'm quite certain you'll be a handsome young man. Are you wearing a suit tonight? Or at least a shirt and tie? I left you some. If you haven't found them yet, ask Wayne or Maggie. They know where they are. I hope you like them. They're... colorful. It's how I think of you – colorful, full of life.
Or is this a more casual date? Where you put on your best jeans and a new shirt and try to clean the dust off your tennis shoes. Will you be picking her up in the car Wayne helped you get? Or that I hope he helped you get anyway. Are you double dating – maybe with Pete? You two were always practically joined at the hip though that may have changed over the years as well.
Are you going to kiss her tonight? Just a little kiss, mind you. I hope that's the kind of thing that you could have talked to me and your Dad about. Have you already kissed a girl? I'm raising an eyebrow at that thought. Should you have kissed a girl without taking her on a proper date?
I love you, son, and your Dad and I would both be so proud of you tonight. I'd probably take a million pictures. Make sure that somebody takes one. Even if this girl, whoever she is, isn't 'the one' for you, you won't want to forget your first date. Now make sure you don't do anything you'll regret – that you wouldn't want to tell your wife about in the future.
Oh, listen to me – going on like that again!
We love you. Be careful. Be a gentleman. Guard your heart. Learn to love. Whether this girl or someday another one.
We've loved you since the beginning, Clark, and we'll love you till the end.
Love,
Mom
