Jan. 7, 2008 - One cooperative child
Thank goodness for one cooperative child! My 12 year old may not always want to do something, but she generally will do what I ask. My 9 year old on the other hand was a pill today. She is a very dramatic child and literally moaned, groaned, and wailed most of the afternoon.
I knew I needed to be battle ready, so I tried to keep my expectations low. I had 9yodd work in a first grade math book. I know, I know. It was WAY beneath her, but at least she couldn't complain that it was too hard. She still moaned and wailed which gave me a good chuckle. It was so ridiculous! We also did handwriting, spelling, and English grammar. She did fine but complained loudly the WHOLE time. Believe it or not, she is full of energy when it is something she wants to do. ;)
12yodd quietly did her spelling and handwriting without complaint. We reviewed the first part of an IEW (writing) DVD together during which she almost fell asleep. She enjoys Mr. Pudewa's humor, but this is the 3rd time she's seen this segment. Then we did a math lesson together. She did math on her own for about a year, but she started to get bogged down. So, I've decided to be more "present" during math in hopes that she'll let me know what she needs help with.
I plan to keep expectations low for awhile. My main goal is to be consistent. Who won the race? The tortoise and that is who my kids need me to be.
