Paper Plate People

I have a stubborn child. She's been struggling to learn to read, and I get easily frustrated with her. I hate feeling frustrated at her when she won't try but I have to help her to learn to read this summer. She got a bit behind her reading lessons in school this year, and her teacher sent home a big stack of lessons for us to work on every day. Well, it hasn't been every day. Partly because of the frustrations we both feel when she isn't getting anything out of it.

Enter the paper plate people. One day, Lacy decided to draw faces on a bunch of paper plates. Then it was time for summer school. She decided to have the paper plate people read all her lessons for her. And do you know what? She actually learned! She read! I didn't get frustrated with her! She didn't get frustrated trying to read! It was a miracle! So now, every time we do school, the paper plate people come out and read for Lacy.

But today, Lacy admitted something to me. "Mom, it's not really the paper plate people who are reading. It's me. I just make different voices and pretend that it is the paper plate people who are reading." Well, what a revelation, Lacy! I'm glad it's helping, even if it's not real.