July 11, 2007
summer has swallowed me whole: the sequel
Henry has been able to read for a long time, but has been convinced that he can’t do it. This has driven me berserk because OH MY GOD HE READS BETTER THAN I DO! But he’s a worrier, so there’s that.
(One night, when we were snuggling in bed, he tried to tell me that reading was boring. “Daddy and I love to read,” I told him. “How many books have you read?” he asked. “Oh, gosh,” I said, “Thousands. Easily.” Because with the multiple graduate degrees in English, that is a totally true statement.
“Well,” he told me, “one day, you will realize that reading is BORING.” I told Wade this and he said, “Did you tell him that you’ve read Clarissa* TWICE? If you didn’t think that was boring, then you’re pretty much good to go.”)
Last week, Wade had lunch with a friend who has a son Henry’s age. The friend confessed that in an effort to get their son to read, he and his wife had agreed that their son could have unlimited access to Captain Underpants books, as long as he read them himself. When Wade told me about this, he said, “It doesn’t sound like such a bad deal.”
“I would sell my soul to Satan if Henry would read,” I told him. And that’s basically what we did. We told Henry that for every chapter of a book he read on his own (Henry and Mudge books, mostly, not War and Peace, although that’s tempting) he could earn ten minutes of computer time. Because I’m willing to bribe the kids to make sure that they will be literate enough to move out of my house one day.
Henry was pissed, but he agreed, after much moaning. And dammit if the boy can’t READ. Well. Fluidly! With proper inflection and everything!
Sheesh.
So today, I have this conference call, for a freelance job. The kids and I had gone to the pool, but we came home in time for me to be on the phone because it seemed more professional to be in my kitchen, where it’s quiet, instead of at the pool, where kids are SCREAMING non stop. And then after the call, I thought maybe I would grab a shower because I was STILL in my swimsuit, which is was kind of damp and just not comfortable.
Did I mention that while I was on the phone/in the shower Henry was playing on the computer? With my blessing? Because you do what you have to do, honestly.
This afternoon, I took the boys to get some puzzles (no, I’m not going to explain that) and then we came home and HAD to put them together in the living room even though we have a perfectly good playroom which is the LARGEST ROOM IN THE HOUSE and the only room with furniture that doesn’t make me feel like crying. Henry asked if he could have more computer time and I said no, we’re doing puzzles and he pouted a little and half heartedly tried to work a Goodnight Moon puzzle and then said, “I’m going upstairs to do something. I’ll be back.”
“No computer,” I said. And he rolled his eyes and said, “I KNOW.”
A while later he comes back and looks at the puzzles and then goes back upstairs, and I start to think that I should check on him because while I’m fairly sure he’s not playing on the computer (if only because he’s a terrible liar and I can always tell when he’s fibbing) I don’t want to be that mom who cannot for the life of her figure out how her child–who had an unsupervised computer in another room–wound up in a CHAT ROOM for god’s sake.
Not that I think my seven-year-old is frequenting chat rooms, although now that I know he can read I should probably think about that. I just thought I should go check on him. Anyway.
I leave Charlie putting together a Rainbow Fish puzzle and I tiptoe upstairs to find . . .
Henry laying on the floor of the playroom READING. To himself. Out loud. READING READING READING!
And my heart exploded, and I picked up the pieces and went back downstairs to finish puzzles with Charlie. And it is possible that I made myself a cocktail to celebrate the fact that I am NOT the Worst Mother Ever and that my kids HAVE learned something this summer.
Even though Charlie still won’t wear pants.
*Samuel Richardson’s Clarissa is the longest novel ever written in English. And yes, I really DID read it TWICE. It’s good, I promise! How could the thrilling story of a girl who accidentally runs away from home and then dies of a broken heart NOT be good? And it’s written entirely as LETTERS! I know! Fabulous!
Posted by Susan @ 6:45 pm • Uncategorized
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July 11th, 2007 at 10:24 pm, Cathy Says:
reading this makes me feel so much. we are all just along for the ride, then we realize that we are driving the car. (does that make sense?).
July 12th, 2007 at 4:47 am, Susan Says:
Cathy, that makes perfect sense.
I am always caught off guard by the moments when I feel like I’m doing this parenting thing well (or just right, even). I wish that weren’t true, but it is.
July 12th, 2007 at 6:13 am, Tracy Says:
Good idea! All day long I it’s “can I play computer?” “no…” over and over and over. Now I have a plan! Oh, and we have Henry and Mudge, too! Because I have a Henry…and my dad calls him Mudge.
July 12th, 2007 at 8:33 am, Undercover Mutha Says:
Man, I like that Charlie and the summer of no pants.
Reading for men never gets interesting anyway until they’re about 13…and see their first issue of Playboy.
Oops! Insert reading with “looking at printed material.”
July 12th, 2007 at 9:13 am, Mark Says:
Baden Powell once said “we are always being snapshotted”
How true, the little things we do, have the most profound impact.
July 12th, 2007 at 10:32 am, M&Co. Says:
Oh we love the Captain Underpants Series. For a long time it was the only thing the GirlChild WOULD read. Cause you know, all that talk of boggers and farts and wedgies is high humor.
July 12th, 2007 at 12:20 pm, Lisa Milton Says:
All hail Captain Underpants, the book of choice for the young ones. I figure he’s great, for now. I’ll work the other great ’stuff’ in later.
July 13th, 2007 at 9:15 am, Debra Says:
Do you boys have Robert Prelutsky books? (I think I spelled that correctly). My fave is: Something BIG Has Been There.
July 13th, 2007 at 12:42 pm, chris Says:
Ah yes, I love it when they turn the reading corner. Pretty soon you’ll be breaking out the Magic Tree House Books.