Starting the New Year Slowly

I haven’t been as diligent about writing since the new year, even though that’s exactly the sort of new year’s resolution an aspiring writer would embrace. Just goes to show you how much weight resolutions really carry. Either way, one area that we are trying to be diligent about is school work. As 2011 drew to a close, we were going pretty easy in terms of work. I sort of approached it as a review of the year’s material, bearing in mind that they are a year ahead. It was easy for them, and I have to confess, I had an ulterior motive in that it meant having to battle less with the kids to do their school work.

It occurred to me, not to mention R, who voiced her concern, that they were skating a bit too much. You aren’t doing your kids a favor by letting them off easy, because at some point life will present them with challenges, and they have to have the wherewithal to deal with them without any parents around. So, we’ve ratcheted things up a bit, and it hasn’t been as awful as I anticipated it to be. Hmm, seems to be a familiar pattern here.

I expected things to get ugly, mainly with N, who really puts up a fight. A tends to offer some resistance, but in the end she will do what you ask because she is not only good at it, but she understands why we are making them do it. N, on other hand, is more than happy to put up a fight, even in lieu of the fact that he’s very good at academics. The one thing he resists the most is writing. He’s a great reader, he loves math, and he is curious. It’s the writing the bums him out, but in homage to Eleanor Roosevelt, we will seek to do that which we think we cannot do. N can write, he’d just rather play hockey or watch a movie.

Thus far, it hasn’t been too bad, and best of all, the kids are learning that they can do more and overcome challenges when they simply assert themselves a little. It doesn’t even take that much.

So I guess you can say that in terms of academics, we’re doing okay, if not well. I just have to get off my rear end and get the writing done. Sound familiar?

Until the next time, thanks for reading, and thanks to Theo Kleen for the pic.