Middle Child
Some Planning Required
The children have downloaded a number of apps on my phone. Battle Nations is popular at the moment and apparently “it’s even better, if you share it with friends.” They want to share but I have pointed out that the only friends available through my phone are my friends who won’t be interested in Battle Nation. Aside, I notice, that somebody posted an invitation to pet hotel on my twitter feed, that wasn’t me.
While he was washing his teeth, Daniel asked me whether I had any friends who were pregnant. “Yes, why?” I asked. “So that when the children are born and get bigger you can invite their parents to play Battle Nations and they can give the phone to the children.” What did I say in response? “We’ll see”. Of course.
I still maintain that I am doing better than Chris over at Rude Cactus on June 25.
School Reports
The children’s school reports have come in. They are good; we are pleased; they are pleased. The reports acknowledged the most impressive feat of the year – Michael who could barely read last September is now an excellent reader. And better again, he loves to read. Although not as much as he likes to play on my phone.
The Princess took the explanatory leaflet on standardised scores to bed with her so that she could work out what her results really meant. She’s going to be debriefing me later.
Daniel continues to marry ability and hard work in a manner that I can only hope will lead to great things in later life. Or, at the very least, employment.
Conspiracy
Michael: I tried to go to sleep but my tummy hurts.
Daniel (doubling over): My tummy hurts too.
Michael: Boy, sleeping is dangerous.
The Best Hobby in the World
I found an old Agatha Christie upstairs and I gave it to herself saying that she might like it. It lay around on her desk for ages but the other night she had nothing else to read and she picked it up. She is completely hooked. I remember how much I loved Agatha Christie when I was about her age. I am delighted for her. And for us because there are loads of them out there and they might last her a bit longer than the My Sister the Vampire books.
Then, when I went in to turn off the boys’ lights, Michael was reading a Spongebob book and Daniel was methodically working his way through stories of T’choupi, the world’s dullest mole. “What are you doing?” I asked. “I’m teaching myself to read in French,” he said.
Comparisons are Odious
For their homework, Daniel and Michael were asked to list the names of books they had read on a sheet of paper. They had to fill in the date they had read the book and the author and review it by means of a sad face or smiley face.
Michael said, “It is only for books in Irish you have read at school”. He filled in the details of his Irish textbook, closed up his books and zoomed off about his business.
Daniel assured me that it was for all books you had read that day and was determined to fill in all 10 spaces. He wouldn’t cheat either. He gathered around him a selection of books (all of which he had read before), including even an Irish one, and dutifully re-read through them all before carefully noting down the details on his list. It took him forever.
I noted that all of his reviews were positive as was Michael’s. My children are uniformly positive when asked for their views by authorities outside the family. I tackled Michael later. “Why did you give Féasta a smiley face? You hate Féasta.” “Oh, I like the bit where they have the party,” he said.