Hello and welcome to another sultry Saturday here at the Wannaskan Almanac. Today is June 12th.
Before I move on to today's topic, bribery, I wanted to give readers a quick update to last week's post, The Plant Whisperer.
First, a big thank you to all the plant whisperers out there who offered gardening tips and advice. Very much appreciated! My favorite piece of advice: "A plant is a lot like taking care of a cat. They like attention, but in limited amounts." We have three cats, so this I can work with.
Second, the Oldest wanted me to clarify that I erroneously reported that her succulent from college died. It did not. It not only did not die but is thriving at a friend's house where said friend (a biology-something major) is plant sitting over the summer.
Third, I found a spot for the Bleeding heart plant in a shady spot by the front stoop where some cedar shrubs wouldn't take. I promise to try my best to keep it alive. For all our sakes.
Last, the Kindergartener asked about the zinnias. "Where's my flower?" he asked the day after he returned from the Czech Republic. "Ohhhh, it..uhhhh..." I stammered. I wanted to avoid the "D-word".
"It's dead?" he sputtered. "Everyone else's flowers bloomed and mine didn't?"
"Well, nobody's has bloomed yet, bud."
The crocodile tears came. "We have more seeds!" I offered. "We can try again!" It took a couple days to work through his grief, but he's ready to try this growing thing again. He plans to take charge.
Okay, back to this week's theme: bribery.
Kids are done with school and summer is here, gaping like a welcomed, wide hole in an otherwise scheduled calendar year. Kids have their own thoughts about what summer means - jobs, driver's ed, swimming lessons, and camps - but I have a singularly summer objective: reading.
Kids these days don't read enough. And, yes, I recognize I just used one of those expressions "Kids these days" that only folks of a certain age are prone to say, but really, people, this is an issue.
With five kids, I have plenty of anecdotal evidence, so here's some back up, Children are reading less than ever before, research reveals. This 2020 article in The Guardian, a U.K.-based newspaper, states that "just a quarter of under-18s read each day."
"This is the lowest daily level recorded since [National Literacy Trust] first surveyed children’s reading habits in 2005.
It also found that fewer children enjoy reading, and that this dwindled with age: nearly twice as many five to eight-year-olds as 14 to 16-year-olds said they took pleasure from reading. Overall, just 53% of children said they enjoyed reading “very much” or “quite a lot” – the lowest level since 2013."
I consider this a literary epidemic requiring immediate attention.
My terms are simple: a penny a page. For everyone. That means $1.00 for one hundred pages.
The Second Oldest wants credit for reading subtitles for anime videos. I told him that's not really the kind of reading that I meant. I countered with 25% credit for subtitles, reminding him that reading the manga would earn him more. I expect a counteroffer in a day or so. Meanwhile, the littles are happily racking up pages and looking forward to Friday, aka Payday. The WAKWIR* asked if reading the Harry Potter series for the seventh time counts. I told him no. His siblings agreed.
The three oldest kids used to be super readers. I can tell you exactly when they stopped reading voraciously: the day they got their cellphones. Even with wifi only and no cell service, the amount of time spent on their phones ratcheted up while the amount of time they read plummeted.
We're not even a device family. The kids' friends will tell you. Our house is the least coolest option - the last resort. We only have one television and it's not very smart. We only just signed up for one streaming service (Hulu) two weeks ago and that was because there's a show I need to watch for writing research.
Our kids have never had gaming devices. No personal gaming devices, no Nintendos or X-box. The last video game console I remember owning was an Atari when I was eight years old.
Our family finally got a PS3 in 2019 but only because it was passed to us upon the death of a family friend. (So more bitter than sweet.) Last summer, the WAKWIR pooled his savings and some cash from an angel investor (his brother) to purchase a used PS4. If they want to purchase games or whatever you call it so they can play with their friends from their respective houses, they need to get "AFK" (away from keyboard) and get a job.
So, believe me when I tell you, we are genuinely a very uncool family when it comes to screentime.
With the Third Grader (soon to be Fourth Grader) the problem is different. She is not a super reader. Because her siblings ahead of her (and even the Kindergartener behind her) are super readers, I just assumed she would be, too.
Not so.
Everyone tells you that each kid is different, and yes, I agree. But that doesn't necessarily lessen the parent guilt. What had I done? How had I failed my child? Maybe I'd been on autopilot. Maybe I'd been overly confident with parenting. This was my fourth kid after all. Didn't I know it all?
Apparently not.
If you take one pearl of wisdom from this blog post today let it be this: with every kid you have to start from square one. If it is true that each child is different, then start with a clean slate. Make no assumptions and dig in. Even if you've already done it a hundred times.
The pandemic provided ample time for a do-over and I worked a lot with the Third Grader. The "it's too hard" foothills gave way to more than a mountain; it was a mountain range that we spent the entire third grade traversing. And to her credit, the girl made glorious progress. But she still has a ways to go.
And yes, my teacher friends will be the first to remind me not to get too hung up on test scores and standards; that her reading will improve at her own pace. I get it.
But there's something else I'm trying to pursue, capture, and gift my child: a love for reading.
So, yes, if it takes bribery to convince my children to take the time to read, I will do it. The few dollars are a small price to pay for the (self) discovery of just how great reading is.
On This Day
Remembering You
Kim
*Wannaskan Almanac Kid Writer-in-Residence
Can I get in on this deal? (I'll warn you, my Goodreads goal is a book a week this year). I'm interested if you count audiobooks or Kindle versions. We have Libby, an e-media app that lets us borrow from our library. It seems like a way to sneak literature onto the kids' devices.
ReplyDeleteI just finished re-reading "To Kill a Mockingbird", one of the finest works ever written in English. As my mother approached her 80th birthday, I was shocked to discover she (an avid reader) was too busy having me to read the book when it came out or see the movie. I bought her both and she was delighted when she'd finished.
Speaking of 80th birthdays, I was delighted to see Roy Harper made your list. One of my favorites (you'll get to hear an especially tear-jerking tune by him if you make it to my funeral). Hats off to you!
I'm sure we could make a deal! ;) Kindle yes, audiobooks - hmmm, will have to think about that. My hesitancy regarding audiobooks is around the research that the act of reading stimulates the brain differently than, say, watching a movie. I imagine that audio stimulates the brain differently as well. If there is good book club discussion after an audiobook read, I would certainly be willing to give credit.
DeleteI need to re-read TKAM, as well. I have Go Set a Watchman on my shelf, so might as well add that, too.
I hope to make your funeral, but I hope more that you live well past 80. Cheers to you!
Proverbs say, "A secret gift calms anger: a bribe under the table pacifies fury."
ReplyDeleteI wonder if it will get kids to read.
I will add that little nugget to my bag of tricks! The littles got paid last week and it looks like I'll be paying up this week as well. The teens are a little trickier, but I'm patient.
DeleteA penny a page bribe wouldn't work on my 11-year old grandson. He's a capable reader for his age, but due to said generational handicap: five or more years of games on the internet and unlimited cellphone access, he's become rather sedentary most of the year. The Corona virus lock-down didn't help at all.
ReplyDeleteThat being said, bribing this kid now, at even a dollar a page, would become more of a negotiation of time and effort, with a kid who has participated in pow wows since he could walk, and could make three hundred bucks at a time. Although hardly a venture capitalist at this age, he understands the value of time and money -- and reading a book hasn't been at the top of his list, since, sadly.
Despite that, I did, recently, buy him three books; one earning a National Longlist Book Award; one a Scott O'Dell Award for Historical Fiction; and another a Newberry Honor, and I've read them all in advance of their introduction. The thing is, Grandma and Grampa's farm, 'in the middle of nowhere '(his longtime lament), does prove to rehabilitate people, if necessary, providing comfortable beds in a clean and quiet environment; a peaceful night's sleep apart from anything a city offers; (many opt for a fan to provide 'white noise' because its often so quiet) -- unless birds singing in the mornings, frogs and coyotes competing in the evenings, and winds through the trees are your thing.
Oh, reading at your leisure, is included I forgot.
A lady via LinkedIn commented that sometimes all it takes is the right literature. For the Third Grader that was The Magic Treehouse series. For the LinkedIn lady it was Stephen King (as a kid!) Hang in there. The right material will show up soon enough. He's got a grandfather who is determined to do so! :)
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