This week I'm sending you a book called The Wobblysaurus. (Would have been perfect for the bike crash story last week!)
That rushing wave of utter relief.
Closing your eyes and being so grateful that your child somehow got to the end of their school-assigned reading book.
The immense gratitude that they also finished early enough so you aren't racing frantically to get to school before they lock the gates.
The disbelief that you got to the end of that without a complete meltdown.
But gosh, it did get close.
'Please, please stay with me', you silently begged as you calculated 13 minutes before you needed to be out the door (with teeth, hair and shoes still not done).
But you didn't lose your cool.
You stayed with him when you could see that panic and fury in his eyes meaning no, he did not remember that word even though you claim he just read it on the last page.
You stayed with him when he shouted he was tired and did he really have to read the whole book.
You stayed with him when he was so frustrated his only way of getting through it was to furiously yell the words at the page.
You stayed with him, and you got through it.
How?
By saying, yeah, this is really hard. Yes, this word doesn't make sense. Yes, it's exhausting having to practise every day.
And reminding him of what you learn together: that getting better at something requires hard work. Not giving up. And finding ways to make it easier.
This week's book says that too.
The Wobblysaurus by Rachel Bright
This one is about a little dinosaur who's excited to learn to ride her bike, and knows she has to practise. But then is gutted when no matter how hard she tries, she always ends up with a feeling of defeat and a sore bum. It's her granny who comes along to save the day, by telling her about how rubbish she was at riding a bike when she was young. She lets her know the journey she went on before she became a bike champ, and lets her in on the secret to success.
"I think, in life, it's not about how fast we ride the track,
But more that when we fall,
We find a way to bounce right back."
I'm asking the kids these questions after we read it:
- What's something you kept going with, even when it felt hard?
- Can you think of someone who struggled with something when they were little but are now really good at it?
- What can you do if something doesn't go right the first time?
Have a lovely weekend when it comes.
Love,
Becca