(I wrote this when our children were in second and fifth grades.)
My Summer Plan is to make Susan and Fred (my complaining, fighting, whining children) work one hour a day and read one hour a day this summer. I think they need a reason to complain, fight, and whine. When they were at school, they had no pressures except to do homework. All was fun and games. Until now.
While Susan has been spending the first two carefree weeks of her summer vacation with her grandparents, I have worked out the Summer Plan, much to Fred’s dismay. Fred would never admit this, but I’m sure he’s happy with it. He has read a book, built a crate, and painted a table. He and I have developed a mutual respect and desire to help each other. Well, maybe I’m stretching it a little, but the seeds are planted anyway.
Tonight Susan will enter this environment. She doesn’t know about the Summer Plan yet. Fred said telling her would ruin her vacation. (I think he’s happy with this Plan.) I can just hear her arguments now. She’ll reason that summer is a time when kids shouldn’t have to work or think because they labor so hard all year in school. My answer to that is that they are required to use their brains at school from 8:15 until 3:30, so they are getting a deal at two hours a day. I expect her defense to continue for a while. It had taken Fred a good solid two weeks to cave.
The Summer Plan hurts me worse than it hurts them. I have to teach them to paint, build things with them, discuss what they read, make them clean up after their jobs are done, carry out the penalties, and (hardest of all for me) be specific. I can’t just say, “Your job for today is to be where I need you when I need you.”
I’m glad I don’t home school them. I used to respect parents who did that. Now I just think they’re out of their cotton pickin’ minds!
While Susan has been spending the first two carefree weeks of her summer vacation with her grandparents, I have worked out the Summer Plan, much to Fred’s dismay. Fred would never admit this, but I’m sure he’s happy with it. He has read a book, built a crate, and painted a table. He and I have developed a mutual respect and desire to help each other. Well, maybe I’m stretching it a little, but the seeds are planted anyway.
Tonight Susan will enter this environment. She doesn’t know about the Summer Plan yet. Fred said telling her would ruin her vacation. (I think he’s happy with this Plan.) I can just hear her arguments now. She’ll reason that summer is a time when kids shouldn’t have to work or think because they labor so hard all year in school. My answer to that is that they are required to use their brains at school from 8:15 until 3:30, so they are getting a deal at two hours a day. I expect her defense to continue for a while. It had taken Fred a good solid two weeks to cave.
The Summer Plan hurts me worse than it hurts them. I have to teach them to paint, build things with them, discuss what they read, make them clean up after their jobs are done, carry out the penalties, and (hardest of all for me) be specific. I can’t just say, “Your job for today is to be where I need you when I need you.”
I’m glad I don’t home school them. I used to respect parents who did that. Now I just think they’re out of their cotton pickin’ minds!
No comments:
Post a Comment