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August 21, 2008
Whoosh
I'm sure I've mentioned before how hard Jamie is to teach. At least, it's hard for Rex and I to teach her. She's apparently such a different person at school that I wouldn't be surprised if she was Super Sponge there. Honestly, I've avoided working with her on a lot of things I should be trying to teach her, from academics to shoe tying. We both get so frustrated that I think it does more harm to our relationship that the little bit she soaks in is worth.
So when it came time to teach her to ride a bike, I was glad I was pregnant. Then recovering. Then I was just always holding the baby. It's been 5 months (of inconsistent practice, I admit) and she still isn't really riding by herself. Actually, she rides by herself, but Rex has to start her, and I stand at the other end to "catch" her as she brakes. She has this interesting habit of flinging herself away the bike as she comes to a stop, instead of just putting her foot down and leaning. It's like she thinks the bike is going to explode when the mph drops to zero, a la Speed. Rex and I are in disagreement as to what comes next. I say you just have to let go, he's still willing to coddle her for a while. (Isn't that supposed to be the other way around? The mommy babies the kids, and the daddy tells them to buck up? Hmm...)
The somewhat surprising development is that she now asks to practice riding, whereas in the beginning she had to be told. She's taken a couple (minor) tumbles, and is willing to get up and try again after a little pep talk. She loves the part when she's whooshing through the air. In this, if nothing else, she wants to be the big girl.
I don't know if it's her maturing, or me, but in the last couple days we've tried some reading and pronunciation. It's been a while since the two of us have made an effort, and I was surprised at the number of words she knows by sight. I was also surprised at her willingness to pronouce letters and put them together, something she would normally flat out refuse. Don't get me wrong, she still balked at some of the words she considers difficult, and she can get really pissy and uncooperative, but I've seen improvement just between yesterday and today. I think she's getting ready to see the words whooshing through her mind.
And the closer she gets, the more she likes the feeling of growing up.
Posted by me at August 21, 2008 9:15 PM