Cruel Mommy

Ella is in an anti-reading phase lately. She's been reading the Boxcar Children #1, she reads one page with help, and either I or Madison read two pages, then she reads another page, etc. And lately, she's been just bursting into tears instead of focusing and reading the words she knows. It's a ploy, is the thing. She can read the stuff. But she's decided that she doesn't want to, because it's hard. But I'm making her. I'm not unsympathetic, but not particularly sympathetic either because she's just stalling to see if I'll reduce the amount to be read. I put my arm around her, and snuggle her in, and tell her that the extra time she's taking here is time she's taking away from playing later.

The loose unschooler types would castigate me for making a child do something she's not ready to do, that her crying means she's not ready. They'd tell me that it's going to make her against reading for life, that it's not going to be something she wants to do for pleasure as a result of my pressure.

I snort. Her crying means she's a good actress. She'll be fine.

But it's no fun.

To be a bit more serious about it, I have to keep submerging my own desire for her to read exactly on Madison's same timetable. I just want her to have the same kind of pleasure Madison had, as early as Madison has had it.

Also, even though Ella doesn't watch that much TV, it would be nice if she substituted some reading for the TV she does see. Madison watches almost no TV, just isn't interested.