My oldest is 6 and in first grade. He started working on reading last year but this year is an even more concentrated effort. I think we all have definite strengths and weaknesses, and if we know our weaknesses, we can work on them or take them into account as we try to reach new goals. He's too young for that kind of introspection, but I know that one of his definite challenges is the idea he should be able to just do things right on the first try. So, naturally, he's looking for shortcuts on this reading thing. He's got the basics down, and is so smart that he'll probably get away with some things for awhile at school that he won't at home. I have the advantage of just having two kids instead of 25 like his teacher does, I'm not knocking school at all!
Last night, he was trying to read a box of Nerds where it listed the flavor: Seriously Strawberry. I was driving us all home, and he was spelling out words asking what they were. I asked him to sound them out and figure it out based on that. This ended with him so angry he was crying, and me wanting a glass of wine. He's just guessing words when he doesn't know them. I tried to explain to him that it's not going to get him anywhere. If he takes the time now to learn how to sound things out and then how to figure out what a new word is based on the rest of what he's reading, he'll be able to read ANYTHING. We can pick a book and read it together and watch a movie and then decide if the movie matched the picture in our minds and which one was better. He can read instructions on how to do something he's never tried. He can look up information about a question he has. But he has to know how to sound things out and not just guess in order to really unlock this reading thing. I'm sure we'll have to have this conversation or similar ones several more times before he finally gets it. Or just gives up trying to argue with me and tries what I suggested without letting me know that he's trying what I said to do. Motherhood is exhausting.
Later, I was thinking about how there's probably something I'm doing where I really need to take a step back and make sure I get the basics instead of trying to rush forward. I know the biggest reason S and I have such a hard time sometimes is that we are very alike. Not completely, but the stubbornness, the desire to be successful almost immediately, and not being afraid of challenges but not always knowing how to take them on are big personality characteristics we share. I was in my thirties before I realized I could ask for help and get it easily rather than trying to do everything myself or just failing at it. I hope he can get that lesson sooner, but I'm sure my dad felt the same way about me learning it.
I'm building a business through Young Living, and I love it and it's going well. In order to go back to nursing school, I need to replace my current income with something that allows me to attend classes on ground. I see that flipping rank two more times gets me there and I have all the foundation for that in place, I'm just not sure how to get from where I am right this second up two more rungs on the ladder. I can't do it by myself, I need other people on my team interested in and invested in running the business side of things. I'm learning how to encourage and motivate without push and overwhelm. And how to stay in my lane and not look too much at how quickly people around me were able to achieve this same goal. I'm on a team of people who work together and work hard and set goals and go past them, and I think it will do me well to remember that in the company overall, I've already achieved a high enough rank that Young Living sent me a certificate and a pin. That's nothing to sneeze at! The next rank up comes with an all expense paid retreat to the headquarters and some of the farms and distilleries. Except to hear more about how this goes, it's definitely heavy on my mind!
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