Just when I thought drop-off couldn’t get worse, it did, today. This morning began with TT’s pleas for staying home from school, with a few doses of ‘my stomach’ hurts thrown in for good measure. The defiance continued when he wouldn’t put his shoes on, so I carried him to the car with shoes in hand.
The pleading even wore Magda down. She insisted that I "just" take TT to the Helix office with me today so no one would have to "listen to this whining" anymore.
A part of me was tempted to keep him by my side for the duration of the day. I’ve taken him to work with me many times prior. Heck, I thought, ‘What’s one day of ‘skipping school’ going to hurt?’
A lot, actually.
As novelist, Dorthy Canfield Fisher once said, “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”
I was not going to help him by being a conspirator in truancy.
The pleading even wore Magda down. She insisted that I "just" take TT to the Helix office with me today so no one would have to "listen to this whining" anymore.
A part of me was tempted to keep him by my side for the duration of the day. I’ve taken him to work with me many times prior. Heck, I thought, ‘What’s one day of ‘skipping school’ going to hurt?’
A lot, actually.
As novelist, Dorthy Canfield Fisher once said, “A mother is not a person to lean on, but a person to make leaning unnecessary.”
I was not going to help him by being a conspirator in truancy.
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| Montessori Spindles--thanks to 54Mama for the pic! |
Instead, I need to help him by inspiring a love of learning, and letting him experience the resultant feelings of achievement that come from doing good work.
And he is poised to do just so at the Montessori both of our kids attend. Maybe if I told TT that the inventor of “The Sims” videogame, Will Wright, was not only Montessori taught, he attributes his success to the Montessori method. (TT does not know of The Sims game; Sonic is his game of choice) Heck, the mere discussion around gaming designers might peak his interest in school again.
To be sure, TT displays more electronic prowess than I have ever had in all my years of computer work combined. And part of that prowess comes simply from exploring buttons or tabs that I would never double click for fear of the unknown. He has no fear of trying and retrying and retrying again on a computer, DSI, or Wii. He simply figures out the solution through trial and error. He acts. He creates. He innovates. When he’s plugged in. And when he’s assembling or “upgrading” his Beyblades. Or when he’s doing origami.
Hmm, as I write this post, I realize that my son IS learning to love learning, more so of course when he’s interested in the subject matter. But, in saying so, the quandary of ‘school refusal’ remains...
And he is poised to do just so at the Montessori both of our kids attend. Maybe if I told TT that the inventor of “The Sims” videogame, Will Wright, was not only Montessori taught, he attributes his success to the Montessori method. (TT does not know of The Sims game; Sonic is his game of choice) Heck, the mere discussion around gaming designers might peak his interest in school again.
To be sure, TT displays more electronic prowess than I have ever had in all my years of computer work combined. And part of that prowess comes simply from exploring buttons or tabs that I would never double click for fear of the unknown. He has no fear of trying and retrying and retrying again on a computer, DSI, or Wii. He simply figures out the solution through trial and error. He acts. He creates. He innovates. When he’s plugged in. And when he’s assembling or “upgrading” his Beyblades. Or when he’s doing origami.
Hmm, as I write this post, I realize that my son IS learning to love learning, more so of course when he’s interested in the subject matter. But, in saying so, the quandary of ‘school refusal’ remains...
