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Encouraging Heroes. You can be one too.

So.

Today was not a good one.

Remember when I wrote about the 3rd week of school being kinda bumpy?  But then I got all strict with the boys and they shaped up.  They’ve been deteriorating again.  This morning it took 2 hours to go through about 40 minutes worth of history, and another 2 hours for a 30 minute math lesson.  It’s not work that’s difficult or complex.  Heck, it’s barely work.  Listen to a story and talk about it, then write down some key points (half of which are already on the paper for them) and color a map.  Math covered subtraction.  We started learning subtraction in first grade.

I was getting frustrated, but really went over the edge when the little boys started throwing tantrums when I invited them to come do school.  Our first activity was story reading.  That went well, but when I wanted to watch the Letter People show Captain Earthquake started crying and resisting.

Crying and resisting is how it all started with the big boys.

I can’t stand the idea of the little guys acting the way the big ones have and going through all this angst and frustration again.  Especially since the littles have been learning things so easily all this time.  We do things a few minutes at a time, they always end with smiles and they’ve been tremendously successful.  Picking up the bad behaviors of the older ones is not high on my list of priorities.

So I got mad.  And yelled.  They got moving a bit better, but it still took hours longer to finish everything.  School wasn’t over until 4:30 (they had a lunch time break/recess in there).  Then I had to rush around to try and do at least a little cleaning and start dinner.  Next was soccer for the younger boys, then a standing organizing appointment which meant that I wasn’t going to be home until ten.  Just to be clear, I love my organizing appointment; it is fun and relaxing to go work with my friend.  I still flipped out at the thought that no time was my own today.

I’m not hoping to spend the day watching soap operas and eating bonbons.  I would like to be able to work on projects in the afternoon.  Hubby and I are trying to add insulation to parts of the house.  I could have worked on that, or one of the other many projects on my list.   I don’t think it’s too much to ask that I have time to do those things.  It is ridiculous that boys can continue to believe that if they wait long enough, I’ll give up and stop pushing them.  Or that I’ll just do the work for them.

The Mercenary made some comment about how they’re doing so much schoolwork and I don’t have to do any.  Hello???  I’m doing kindergarten work, fourth grade work, and then college work when I help out my cyber-son in Florida with his writing class.  I don’t understand where this whole “woe is me I’ve got soo much work to do” attitude comes from.  I remember having huge talks with them and going round and round, explaining why school is important, why they have to learn to read yada yada.  And then they look at me with those big eyes and say “But I just want to play”.

I think that’s part of the problem.  They won’t submit to the idea that they are on this planet to work.

Hubby brought them home from soccer, fed them their snack and put them to bed, at around 7:30 at night.  I know TechnoBoy was appalled.  We’ll see if they wake up tomorrow in any different kind of mood.

My middle-of-the-night conclusion is I’m not gonna quit.  I’ll be much happier when they finally get that lightbulb moment and realize that work has its own rewards.  I’m not asking for an adult understanding of the concept.  Just for them to start getting the idea, and maybe joining me on Team Success.

Earnest Parenting: help for parents who struggle with homeschooling.