Oh I Showed Him Alright...

Who taught whom what exactly?
So it's been 7 months since we last spoke. Seven months, a pair of hiking boots, 1 teenage son and a standoff...

My son, as I'm sure you recall, left his boots on the front step after a trip to Greece in May. I silently waited for him to clean them off and take them up to his room. Seven months later and there they are...

It is now snowing and you would think that my 15 year old son might need his boots. Alas no. Allow me to explain...

I planned on teaching my son about responsibility. This was going to be a lesson in "I told you so.." but who taught whom what exactly?

The snow came down last week and a smirk developed along my lips. Finally...

Unperturbed, my son went right to his dad's wardrobe, took out his old boots and walked out the front door right past the old "Greek" boots.

So who taught whom what exactly?

There the boots sit. Clearly he isn't bothered by them. Clearly he has no intentions of moving them. His feet have grown 3 full sizes since May so he has no use for them. I can't move them, it's a point of pride now. Oh I showed him alright...

BOOTS - The Story

These are my son's boots.They have been sitting outside my front door for 8 weeks.

My son was coerced into leaving them out there to "air" after the smell in the house overcame us all.

Six weeks ago today, my son went off to camp. His boots were outside the door when he left for camp despite several "suggestions" to move them.

He is due home the day after tomorrow.

The question is: How long will it take him to move his boots from outside the front door?

I am going to keep track of the boots.

You Pay For It Mum....

My youngest son had clearly outgrown his bicycle. This was strikingly obvious as his knees hit his chin with each revolution of the wheel.

It was time for a new bike.

Times being what they are, I suggested to my son that he buy a bike with his own pocket money. He agreed and scoured the internet until he had found the bike of his 7 year old dreams.

Pocket money in hand, he headed for the door. With one foot out the door, he stopped abruptly and turned to me with a thoughtful gaze...

He suggested to me that I should pay for his bike. He went on to explain that he had taken 7 years to save his $47 worth of pocket money and he didn't want to spend it all on a bike that he would probably outgrow in a year. What's more, he added, once he spent his pocket money, it would be gone whereas I get money every week from my job. Therefore, using his 7 year old logic, I should pay for the bike!

Oh life through the eyes of a child...

Now That's What I Call Summer Fun...

Now this is one fun summer activity! All it took was one wet, rainy day and some imagination...

Lunch Puzzle

Today at lunch I gave my children and their friends a puzzle. I put 3 seeds from 3 different fruits on a sheet of paper and labled them 1, 2 and 3. I asked the children to identify the fruits...

We had an avocado, an apple and an apricot seed.

Which ones do you think they got right?

P.S. All of the fuits were on our lunch table as part of our meal.

What's The Point in Summer?

What summer plans do you have for your children? Summer is a great opportunity for unstructured time. I try to use it as a chance to live life from my children's perspective. We can be bored together, explore together and plan together. Summer is the time that I really get to know my little gang of 3. What's on your agenda?

Right now we are home in Scotland. Life here moves at a much slower pace. We are going up to feed the horses in about an hour - that is the big plan for today!

Terra Nova Tears

My 7 year old is about to take his Terra Nova exam. He is in 1st grade and, as you probably know, this is the requisite standardized tests for first grade. We were discussing it in the car on the way home from school this afternoon. To ease his apparent anxiety, I told him not to worry about it because I would love him just the same if he got all the answers right or if he got them all wrong. He seemed surprised by this and asked me why he had to take the test at all if that was the case. I tried to explain to him that the test was really to make sure that the teacher was doing her job - that the State was testing the teacher. He looked at me in all his innocence and asked "Then why doesn't my teacher take the test tomorrow then mummy?" It's certainly worth considering...