Growing up is not easy with older siblings "helping"

Lisa was working hard to get through her math book. She knew that when she finished it I would take her out for lunch, just the two of us. She was over 3/4 of the way through her second grade book and could just smell the lunch date. Determined to get through it as quickly as possible. she worked on it when she got up in the morning, she sat in bed with it at night, and I had to tell her to put it away at the dinner table.

She was diligent all right. But, when trying to get through 8 weeks or so of math in a few day there is bound to be some adversity. And poor Lisa doesn't handle adversity very well. When things aren't going her way she struggles mightily to keep her demeanor in check. We're working on it, working hard. I make her practice asking for help, taking deep breaths, lightening up a little when it's no big deal. The trouble is, for Lisa it's always a big deal. And it shows.

The other trouble is, she doesn't have very sympathetic siblings. One of them in particular has a very bad memory and has quickly forgotten how very much their own countenance used to (and sometimes still does) mirror that of Lisa's when plagued by adversity.

Other siblings can't relate because they are unbelievably happy and easy-going all the time. Such siblings think Lisa's troubles are funny and delight in hiding with a camera and catching her in the act of "contemplation".

Thankfully, Lisa really is a very good sport about it and laughs at the pictures. That's a lot more than similar-sibling-number-one could or would have done so you have to give Miss Lisa some credit there.

We had more trouble, however, when she announced that "now that I've finished my second grade math book I'm in third grade." I explained that she was still officially a second grader and it was too much for her raised expectations. She burst into tears.


To show you what a sport she is, I let her read this and see the pictures before I posted it. She laughed, although she didn't care too much for the last picture. I asked her if it was OK if I posted it, and she agreed--as long as I put in a picture of her happy-face.



Maybe she's growing up more than those older siblings give her credit for.