Is not much fun to be the constant reminder regarding their obligations to school work. I’ve been reminding my oldest about their book talk three times a day for the last sixteen days. And now with just a mere four days to go, she has decided to start reading in a panic, and has found several words they can’t decipher. Zero sympathy here (which sounds awful I know). For three weeks we’ve discussed the need to pick up this book and actually read it. Which shouldn’t be too hard as I’ve read this book to her on two separate occasions. But waiting until the week it is due to just start makes me angry.
Every single day when we get home from school I’ve said, you should pick up that book, do a little reading. Made sure the tv was off for the first hour we were home. Fixed them drinks & snacks too. In 21 days, of reading a little each day she could have completed the book and started the assignment. But now with a week full of evening events to do she wants to start and try to finish it. Foolish. Absolutely ridiculous. I’m not writing this for her. No way. Take the terrible mark you’ve earned and use it to motivate you to do better. Take some responsibility for the lack of effort you’ve put in. That’s how I feel about it.
It isn’t like we’ve done anything crazy around here to warrant not starting. I didn’t dangle lazer tag, or paint ball sessions to lure her away from doing her work. We didn’t visit theme parks, go to the movies, see concerts, or go to parties as obstacles to this homework getting done. The weather has been rainy & terrible which has kept us all indoors. She chose to sit to watch tv, or hide in her room instead of doing the assignment. We all know that she had five of them to do this year. And with three completed it isn’t like she did not know what was expected of her in getting it completed.
We even have speech to text apps on her computer to help her get started on organizing her thoughts. Then her mother or I cut & paste her thoughts into a coherent order. And ask follow up questions to get cleaner answers or more context. But I can’t do that unless the book is read. So I can be of no help here.
And it isn’t like we don’t model the joy of reading around here. I have hard cover/paperback novels that I read most days in front of the kids, and their mother reads e-books on a Kindle or phone every single day. We derive a lot of pleasure from reading and communicate such to both kids. After this one gets presented on Thursday there is one more to do for June. That one has to be non-fiction. Depending on which book she finds and what it is about, that could take a good deal of discipline to finish. Looking forward to that.
I need to check the lug nuts on the van, and possibly retorque them all. I had wanted to vacuum the inside too, and power wash the exterior, but with more rain in the forecast for today that may not be a smart use of my time. Lazy Sunday spent reading it is then, for all! Ciao Bella.
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