My dear Young Edison(13) is inordinately attached to the computer screen…it’s more of a moth-light relationship. It FEELS like I am always struggling to get him to start on his homework when all he really wants to do is find ANYTHING even remotely related to education on the net. A few days ago, I witnessed this behavior once again after I had asked him to begin some of his more independent studies.
“Young Edison! Do your Math!”
and he disappeared into his room…
I later came back and saw him with his nose facing the direction of the monitors glow…
“Young Ed-is-on…….DO your MATH!”
and he disappeared into his room…
I came back into the room after hurling laundry into the washer and dryer, carying a baby in my arms that needed a diaper change, and with a 4yo attached to my left leg (also toting her 100 EZ lessons reading book) and pleading with me to sit with her NOW, and the timer on the stove was going off along with a very loud kettle all demanding me to pay attention to them.
Taking a deep breath to steady my temper I gently called out to him…
“EDISON! Do you KNOW where your MATH book is??!”
He calmly responds, “Of course, Mom.”
I smiled as sweetly as I could between clenched teeth…”Look, I am trying to make the world a better place to live in. Could you PLEASE, do your Math??”
He calmly responds with a smile, “Of course Mom!”
and he disappears into his room….
Later I asked….
“Did you do your Math?”
He beamed at me, “Yes! I really did!”
“Ok, then. Do your history!”
wash…rinse…repeat…
Later on that night I was getting ready for bed. My eldest dd was telling me that she heard of a good story and proceeded to share it with me. “Mom, Edison told me that there is something he didn’t tell you today…”
“Oh yeah?”
“Umm yes, you see…every time you sent him into his room to do his math…”
“Yes….?”
“He DID it…as a matter of fact, he did 3 DAYS worth of homework…”
You know something? If I were not a sane person, moments like these might make me question it a bit. He had his laugh all day. Maybe the laugh was on him. We are ahead of schedule with only 1 day’s worth of frustration to show for it! 😉 LOL!
a garden of roses and lilies 