Fruits of Our Labors

When it comes to schooling, A is definitely more enthused and motivated than N, not that N isn’t good. He is just not as inspired, so we have to nudge him a little, and while he can be incredibly inspired and diligent, he sometimes also complains and gets grouchy. At one point, I wasn’t sure how I was going to teach him to read because he had no interest in books, though he liked being read to.

We stayed the course, laying down the law and gradually teaching him to read and write. We literally chipped away at the stone, and it was a good lesson in pushing the big picture to the back of your mind while you slowly take it one step at a time. During this period, N let us know at times that he wasn't happy, though secretly I don't think he hated it, he just hated being told to do it. Can you blame him?

Over time, he has learned how to read and write, and I'd go as far as to say that he's good at both. We got to see the fruits of our labors the other night. We were with friends playing the game Apples to Apples Jr. I don’t know if you’ve seen this game, it’s a great one, but requires reading. I think we have the regular Apples to Apples, and it’s really an adult game because there are all sorts of references to pop culture that I experienced as a kid. No kid today even has a clue what some of those topics are about. Maybe realizing this, they came out with a Jr. version, which is awesome.

Either way, as I mentioned, it requires reading, and in the past N got frustrated and lost interest because he couldn’t read the cards. Not anymore, of course. He’s a good reader, and kicked some serious butt reading the cards aloud, which is part of the game. We were so proud of him, but more importantly, I think he felt good about the fact that he could read the material along with the bigger kids and adults. It makes the game more fun, and it’s a light bulb moment when a kid can feel proud and realize that reading is not such a bad thing, after all. Plus, it gives a chance for parents to feel shamelessly proud of their kids.

The ego is such a fragile thing. Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Svilen Milev for the pic.