OK, I feel it might be therapeutic to air that there are a few basic mothering duties in which I big, bold, capital letter FAIL.
It isn’t that I don’t WANT to do these, but often my best intentions are procrastinated to a point of absurdity.
For instance, Until today none of my three boys could tie their shoes.
*gasp*
I know! I know! It is totally unacceptable.
At ages 10, 7 and 5 this should be a life skill.
A life skill taught to them by their mother.
It isn’t that I haven’t thought about it. I think about it all the time. I even picked up a little cardboard shoe with mock laces to practice.*
*The fact that the text around this teaching aid was written at a 4 year old level was not lost on me.
5 years ago when Ryan was 5, I attempted a mini-lesson that didn’t get very far. He was able to do the first step, but since he wore velcro, crocs, and slip-ons he never was forced to practice on a daily basis.
I keep thinking that this summer I will take a morning to teach all three of them. I will get it all over in one day.
This morning, 10 minutes prior to leaving for school, Ryan(10) came to me with a shoe with laces and said, “I have to know how to tie a double knot today for history.”
*panic*
Double knot? We aren’t even in single knot territory yet!
I stopped making Reid’s lunch long enough to show him how to tie a shoe. Then he did it with me holding onto his right hand. Then he did it himself. Then I walked away and he did it again himself. I returned and showed him how to make it a double. He did it one time and said, “cool. thanks.”
The whole process took 2 minutes.
Yes, I have been stressing, procrastinating, agonizing over something that literally took 2 minutes.
Which leads me to believe I might have happened into a good strategy…
It is super easy to teach a 10 year old how to tie his shoes.
My oldest learned when he was 8 & only then because he needed new shoes & the pair he just HAD to have were tie shoes & I refused to tie them for him. So he sat in the Target shoe aisle & practiced while I showed him. He picked it up fairly fast, certainly much better than he did at 5.
New plan. Keep my kids wearing velcro until they turn ten. Then find two minutes to teach them to tie their shoes. 🙂 Awesome!
Stupid velcro! It’s the downfall of civilized society.
My kids have taught themselves! All have managed a basic grasp of it by the end of first grade, but it has had nothing to do with me. Laziness FTW!
Ben only learned because his teacher taught them at school. I like your theory of waiting and besides they make enough velcro and slip on shoes these days… ;P
My son is nearly 8 – 2nd grade – he can’t tie his shoes. My daughter, in kindergarten, is able to tie hers. Whenever I ask my son if he’d like for me to show him how to do it, he responds with “I don’t need to learn. Piper does it for me.” … and so she does, day after day, time after time. I guess he’ll learn when she tires to messing with him 🙂
He needed a double knot for HISTORY? What does he need for math, to fix a transmission? And fly a single engine plane for English?
Thanks for the advice…I think I will wait for my three boys to turn 10 too. I have a 9, 7 and 5 year old…My nine year old got it pretty quick, but he is very focused and determined…Can’t say that for the other two. LOL
Geez, here they won’t let you graduate from kindergarten if you can’t tie a shoe. I guess things are pretty hardcore around here. Good luck with teaching the other 2 ;-).
I think it is one of the things lacking in my home school curriculum! hahaha
HAHA yea, home school is a lot different. I do not have the patience required for it honestly. We live in a really good school district at least.
Can you come teach Dylan please? Because every time I sit down to show him, we both end up so frustrated and annoyed with each other that we BOTH need a drink. It ain’t pretty.
Just wait until he is 10. It is much easier then.