What a dreary day.
I really shouldn't complain - we've been pretty lucky with weather this month, and we probably do need the rain.
But it's Just. So. Dreary.
I've been trapped in the house with unwilling homeschoolers all day. The older one got an essay written, but the younger one took - I kid you not - 5 hours to get one page of math and one page of sentences done.
He dropped pencils. He spilled water. He doodled all over his paper. He went to the bathroom - 50 times. He kept finding me, approaching with his arms outstretched, asking for a "huggie break?" I could only scowl at him and send him back to his chair, promising hugs when he got his sentences done. Eventually, I got frustrated and yelled at him.
This is not how I want homeschooling to be. Something needs to change.
Maybe he's not ready for this much work, or maybe he just needs me sitting there next to him, cheering after every word he writes and every math problem he does. I go back and forth, between what my gut tells me he really needs (less pressure, more maturity) and what the world begins to expect from you at almost 7.
It's easy to say, "Let them go at their own pace," when that pace is faster than average, like his brothers' were. It's quite something else in this case. It's not as if he isn't smart - he's extremely creative and clever and has a great vocabulary and a sophisticated sense of humor. But he can't be bothered with reading, writing, or math. He has only a mild interest in history, art, or music. He does like science - can I build a whole curriculum from that one interest? By the third child, you'd think it would be easy, but I've never had to make these kinds of accommodations before.
At least I'll have Thanksgiving break to think it over. I'm tapped out for today.
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