So, I cursed myself. I did. I once said that I would prefer an ugly child to one who had a hard time in school. Enter the curse: I have a beautiful, charming, incredibly creative child... who refuses to count to three. Now, no, this is far from what I would consider a "major" issue. She is, after all, only four. I should think we have plenty of time to rectify this (right???). But, I'm not going to lie, it makes me panic. It makes me wonder if this'll come up over and over and over again for at least the next 14 years or so... 14 years of me calmly, and as patiently as possible, explaining simple concepts over and over, in every conceivable way... 14 years of her "getting it" this moment, only to look at me dumbfounded 10 seconds later, saying, "Um, I dunno."
It's hard for me to pinpoint why, or more specifically how MANY reasons why, this bothers me... is it because I think she probably CAN do it, but it's more entertaining for her not to? Is it because, when I gently prod her to count "the bugs in the circle" she starts counting only to look up and start watching my face for reaction instead of finishing? Is it that, when prodded she counts "1. 2.... um.... 1. 2.... um... 1. 2." and so on? Or gets creative and does "1. 2. 18. 36. 59...." or even "1. 2. 4. 6. 8..." Yeah. It's great.Now, I know, I know. I'm told over and over again, that she'll just "get it", spontaneously. But there's definitely a part of me that thinks, "I'm a stay at home mom! My kid shouldn't HAVE to wait to just figure it out. I'M supposed to be here to HELP her!" And clearly, I'm not doing a very good job... Or at least that's what my guilt's tellling me...
I thought we had made a bit of a break through today, and it might still have been (I'm willing to give it more time). Smarties. Yup, I'm bribing her with candy. Sue me. We made it all the way to 5, with her being expected to count different groups of bugs in a circle, at least three times in a row, properly, before we would move on to the next number. And at that, if she was having trouble, we would go back to the beginning to repeat those numbers she already "knew" before moving on... but then... nothing. Right back to "1 2 1 2 1 2..." and her watching me for reaction. She's a peach. And yeah, I get it: she's doing it FOR a reaction. Fine. Whatever. But how do I get her to COUNT for my reaction? Cuz, trust me, that reaction would be EPIC compared to the bs poker face I've been doing my best to maintain in the mean time!
Image from here.
