A Day In The Life Of Sibling Rivalry
Tuesday, February 3, 2009 at 6:06AM Today Owen and Eleanor were both in the bedroom, doing schoolwork. Owen was taking a math quiz on-line, and Eleanor was working on her writing. She was proudly telling me about her newest sight word when Owen chimed in.
"How old was I when I started learning to read?" he asked.
"About 4" I said.
"When could I really, truly read?"
"About 4, actually"
"Kudos for me!" he yelled. "Reading at 4!"
The unspoken "And Eleanor is 7 and still learning!" hung in the air...
"Yeah, you're really good at reading." I said. "Everyone has different strengths and intelligences."
Eleanor sat on the bed for a moment. "Mom..." she said. "How old was I when I learned to tie my shoes?"
"About 5."
"And how old was Owen when he learned to tie his shoes?" she said in a sly voice.
"He still doesn't know how." I sighed. "Everyone has different strengths and intelligences." I obliged.
Eleanor just grinned. Owen decided to go back to his quiz.
I'd call it Even-Steven.
Reader Comments (2)
I just read about you this morning in the LA Times. I think what you are doing is a great idea! You already home school your kids, so you don't have school issues to deal with, and if nothing better turns up, your husband will be able to pick up where he left off when you get back (worst case scenario). Why WOULDN'T you go? We have lived in Singapore and traveled around Europe and we don't home school. We enrolled our kids in international schools and enjoyed the things that came our way. We are back in Burbank now and glad to be settled a bit. Traveling like that is actually exhausting but not at the time, just when you get back and go, holy cow, look what we did? The toughest part was food shopping in Singapore. Finding microwave popcorn or western items like peanut butter, were things that you take for granted. Local fare is fabulous but sometimes your kids just want a PB&J sandwich. Good luck in your travels. There is no better educator than life itself. You will all be better for the experience. You can visit our travel blog if you want: http://pajamacatzworldtour.blogspot.com/2006_04_01_archive.html
That conversation could have gone on in my house....word for word! I can totally relate! Aren't kids just amazing!
I'm enjoying your adventures!
re