The routines of the schoolyear have started up again, and I find myself deluged with making sure one single 2nd grader does his reading, spelling and math pages EVERY SINGLE DAY (except Sunday) and recording it on the form that must be signed and turned in every week. I got a personalized note about checking his math more carefully please. (ok, that was last year, but still! I know the teacher is watching) His piano lessons have homework FOR ME!!!! I could darn near be homeschooling. It was NOT this complicated with my first 2. Sheesh. One thing about having assigned reading every day (20 min) is he only does that, and hardly ever reads for pleasure. (Well, I'm sure having netflix and computers handy affect that situation also. Well, and Roger reads great books nightly to him. Well, and he's young.)
I've gotten really really intolerant of crappy plastic toys, and laid down the law last spring that he couldn't buy anything under $40. Just can't do it. He needed to set a goal for something big that he wants and then save up for it, cuz there are just too many stupid little (..................insert all the things you've ever thought or said about wasteful, expensive, breakable, piece losing, crappy little plastic toys......................) in our house. So he got all motivated to earn money and buy a nintendo DS (gameboy) like Ava has. I thought that was great then found out they cost $180. gulp. I agreed then that we could buy it when he saved up $100, so he piled at least 1/2 his toys in boxes for a garage sale and bugged me weekly about when could we have a garage sale. I should have just let him have his own, but of course I thought I should declutter the whole house and have a GOOD garage sale while we were at it. Which of course I never did, and a friend in our ward just got cancer, and his friends were throwing him a fundraising garage sale, so I gave Ethan $20, and gave the stuff for the garage sale, and got that monkey off my back. The kid's up to $63. Now he's angling to sell me his sack of Halloween candy for $20.
Ok, here's the other thing. If he does all his homework and reading WHICH I AM SUPPOSED TO HELP HIM DO, he can pick a crappy little plastic toy out of the treasure box from his teacher. Same at Piano! 2 crappy little plastic toys per week added to my house!!!! It is a cruel, cruel joke. Especially because he is insanely motivated by these treasure boxes, and the mere mention of these boxes existence wins willing cooperation every time. Do you see my dilemma?
Oh... hey... the DSi costs $180, and that is NOT what you wanna get for the kid! It has internet capabilities and all kinds of stuff that is a bit sophisticated for a kid. You want a DS lite, which costs $120ish from Wallyworld! Oh... and you can pick up some verrry nice options on KSL for way cheaper. We got a DS for $60 earlier this year, it was in pristine condition.
ReplyDeleteI feel your pain in terms of crappy toys and boatloads of homework. I don't remember mom EVER helping me with homework, and I am getting it in SPADES round here.
hey, offer him a dime for every crappy plastic toy. costs you 20 cents a week, and he earns munnies. just a thought
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