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| Made with Tagxedo and a link to Wikipedia's page on The Force. No I'm not required to credit them, it's so cool, I want to :) http://www.tagxedo.com |
The Force is strong in the younger child today. Unfortunately the Force that I mean is definitely leaning strongly towards the Dark Side.
Why?
Well, you see, I am having her do some school work.
Oh yes, it has come the time in the year when it has become cool enough to be able to occupy space in the air-conditioning-free world of ours without leaving a sweat puddle around your feet. I feel that your brain oozes out your pores along with the sweat and therefore give my children a lovely "summer break" from schoolwork. Not to be confused with the summer breaks of the school kids, this one is not defined by calendars and plans. No, it's defined by their mother's heat tolerance.
In any case, it is no longer a million degrees out and they have to do schoolwork The older one generally likes it. The younger one loathes anything making her do something she had not previously decided she wanted to do. Today, that was writing. It was the beginning of the writing curriculum so she had to read a book, a picture book, and then answer questions about reading.
Oh. My. Bob. THE HORROR!
Can you believe she had to write down some of her favorite books? And what kind of books she likes? Not only that, but things like where she likes to read and what she might do if she didn't understand what she was reading.
Yes, it was awful. They did things like this in Guantanamo, I'm pretty sure.
Here are some of the whining, crying, throwing things, foot stomping comments to this ONE PAGE writing assignment (which she was welcome to type if she didn't want to physically write):
- I don't know what kind of books I like
- I like all kinds of books
- I don't like to read
- I don't ever learn things
- You never help me
- Why don't you ever help me?
- I hate writing
- I don't know what this means
- I like writing but I don't like this writing
- I don't know where I like to read
- I don't care about Harry Potter (<--sacrilege, right there)
After way, way, too much of this (and yes, I did help,) I said I was going to the shower and would be unavailable for helping or being screamed at for the next 20 minutes. I believe the words "suck it up buttercup" may have left my mouth.
Amazingly, she was done with the entire assignment and had read part of her Ancient Civ before I could even get my hair washed.
Why, WHY, does this child have to carry on for so long before she finally does something? She's this way about her schoolwork, her chores, her computer not performing how she'd like. There are no answers or assistance that will make things right. She has to make everyone's life a living hell for an hour or so, and then she finishes her work in record time, usually even correctly.
This is stressing me the fuck out! And I have enough stress. Thankfully, yesterday was a GOOD day so it's not as bad as it could be. Right?
April | October 3, 2013 at 7:14 PM
(( Shawn)) we had that sort of day too. I have to remind myself the hormones would be raging even if he was in school.
Shawn Walter | October 3, 2013 at 7:40 PM
I know. I figure if she was in school, we'd have a fight in the morning about getting up and getting ready. After school would be fights over homework and making her lunch for the next day. Not to mention bedtime. This is a girl who does NOT do mornings, never has.
Oh, and of course, there would be the various fights with the schools about her IEP, which she would inevitably have. And behavior issues. And the fact that she's intelligent but not performing well.
Yeah, school is so not an option.
Not that I've considered it or anything....
Unknown | October 10, 2013 at 5:36 PM
Last year, my daughter, 12, would get so frustrated waiting on my as I went through my morning routine of begging, pleading, cajoling, and arguing with her 9 year old brother (seriously remember wanting to stab myself in the head with those little corn cob poker things rich people - or people from the 1970's have - a couple of times) until finally the whole fiasco would come to an abrupt close and before I knew it he'd start and finish the assignment before she could even get it done. She loved school, he hated it. This year she wanted to to try out public school (still claims to love it) while Jacob and I are trying our hand in unschooling which has been surprisingly productive and way less stressful than last year. I facilitate and he comes up with stuff to learn about. I force nothing. He hardly ever makes me want to stab myself in the head with those corn-on-the-cob poker things anymore. And I think he's learning more this year than in any previous year. Don't ask me how or why. I am - by no means - able to even begin articulating the answer for either of those questions.
Anyways, I feel your pain as if it were my own. Hope it's getting better.