You Would Think

snow would be a motivator.

I thought it would be.

You know,

sledding, sledding and more sledding... snowmen, sunshine and all the rest of it. Five inches of wet snow and a perfectly sunny, gorgeous day greeted us through the windows this morning.

For Missy this has worked out great. She's already soaked through a pair of snow pants. She got all her chores done and off she went dragging Christina with her. Christina had no problem being dragged off to play.

But Buster just dug in his heals.

It's every time I ask him to do anything right now.

I haven't figured out how doing your work wrong, and taking longer helps you get what you want sooner. If anyone understands that one let me know. :-)

Steve tried working with him. In the end he left him to write a word 5 times. He has been sloppy, written the letters out of order, written the letters backwards, and written them in upper case instead of lower case as asked. We are all quite aware of what he is doing. Everyone is making a real effort to be real sweet with him and very sympathetic to his lengthy, arduous plight, but firmly reminding him that no one can do anything about it except him.

Right now they are at the school for their services. When I pick them up, I will also pick up Jared and Joyanna to play in the snow. I'm sorry I'm such a witch... but I expect James to get his work, that should have been done a few hours ago, done before he will join them. I feel for him. It certainly isn't my choice for him to drag this on for hours. I really don't believe in confining young children to the indoors and to close seat work for very long at a time. But at this point, it's no longer about learning to read, and doing chores... it's all about following directions and being willing to do your best.

Both children went two weeks without wetting and messing their pants and they both blew it on the same day. James wets his pants whenever I let him wear underwear and when he's mad, Missy wets her pants when she thinks I'm being unfair. Apparently, on Tuesday I was an unfair mother.

I have an appointment with the special education director of our local school to talk about Missy on Monday.

****

He miraculously remembered how to write an "H" soon as Jared arrived. 

He was all drama about it in order to save face, but I told him to stop since I didn't believe he was being honest. 

He dove into his reader with lightening speed.

But when it came to phonics

he got very angry with me.

I just fully sympathized but told him that he had no one to blame but himself for not doing it earlier.

I rocked him in the rocking chair until he chose to put on a happy face and get down to business.

And suddenly he did.

I am happy to report that I did not even require him to do every little itty bitty thing, because I saw that he had resigned to doing his work and doing it well.