Her first backpack has fallen by the wayside, a year and a half into her elementary school career. It's developed holes, and terminal grunge, and lining flakiness. I assumed it would last longer - somewhere I still have a backpack that I used in high school, and it looks nearly new. I tell you, things just aren't made like they used to. Planned obsolescence? I thought about returning it to Lands' End and invoking their unconditional guarantee, but guilt got the better of me, as it has been exceedingly well used. I did buy a replacement in a more dirt friendly pattern.
She sent me her first text message the other day, using her grandmother's phone. Grandma stood by offering instruction, but the girl did all the writing and typing. She dearly wants a cell phone, and claims that other first graders have them, which I find hard to believe. She also wants a DS which other first graders do have. In fact, she came home from a playdate with two games for it that the other kid didn't want any more. This caused a serious rift, because she knows I have a DS, and "why can't I use yours, Mommy?", but I really think a six year old needs to be doing something more constructive. We've compromised for the moment - five minutes a night on not-school nights (yes, 10 minutes a week, I am the mean mommy). And threatening to take time away is proving a good inducement to better behavior. It's slippery, this navigating through the intersection of parenting and technology.The first grade play was yesterday - a sort of musical revue adaptation of "Where the Wild Things Are", with songs written by the school's music teacher (who, incidentally, I've known since fifth grade, and no, I don't live in the town I grew up in). All the first graders participated, singing songs en masse interspersed with Sendak's lines, each one recited by a different kid. The girlie got to be the emcee - opening the show alone in front of the curtain, speaking right into the microphone, memorized lines and all - and yes, those are snow boots she's wearing with capri length leggings under a skirt.
A week of firsts.
L.L. Bean is the way to go for backpacks. I think Alex is on year 6 or 7 with this one!
ReplyDeleteAnd the five-minute DS limit? You have officially taken my "meanest mother ever" crown away!
ReplyDeleteI had to Google "DS." EitherI live in the Dark Ages or (and?) my kids are really unaware of what other kids have!
ReplyDeleteshe loves you AND she had a fruit roll up. THAT is a good day
ReplyDeleteI second LL Bean. They last a lifetime. My kids are on year 3 with theirs.
ReplyDeletegood for you for limiting screen/ds time. I was SHOCKED when my son entered kindergarten and many of his friends had one. He's in second grade now and still doesn't have one (mean mommy here, too).
ReplyDeleteIf you can hold off on the DS long enough, you can invoke the "when you can buy one yourself" rule, and get yet another year's delay. My kids have to fund any games they want, too.
ReplyDeleteWe include ALL screen time in the daily time limit, so computer and DVD and any other electronic play are interchangeable (and count toward the max). Personally, I think it's super important to have pretty tight limits on screen time until kids are solid (and avid) readers. Otherwise they never realize they can fill their time more fruitfully with a good book than with mindless games.
This year, since my oldest is going to go off to college in the fall, we've done away with her screen time limits. We figure that it's better for her to find her own balance now than gorge when she's in school. It's killing me to see how much reading and creative time has been squandered, though after several months she's finally starting to self-limit better. (Whew!)
Wow - all that stuff makes her seem so grown up. And then I think, oh crap, she's only a couple years older than Oliver. What's to come sooner than I think.
ReplyDeleteshe did a great job announcing! great outfit, too!
ReplyDeletei support you in holding the line on electronics for as long as you can. julia and i are in solidarity! [not that i was able to do the limits as long as she has, but i fully endorse the "when you can buy it" plan plus limits.]
I can beat you all out--my THREE YEAR OLD great-nephew got a DS for Christmas.
ReplyDeleteHis 7 year old sister already has one. What is really sad about this is that she also had learning issues and can't read yet, so she can't read the directions on the games :/
And I am the meanest mother ever since I didn't let my older one have a Gameboy until 5th grade and a cellphone until 6th. And the same has gone for her little sister--she gets the cell phone this summer because once she goes to middle school and comes home alone by bus I want her to have it for emergency purposes!
first graders with cell phones?? I'm freaked out that my husband likes to give the three year old a (very small) allowance.
ReplyDeleteBut she did send you an awesome message and she did great announcing :)
So sweet. I want a message of my own!
ReplyDeletei'm giving her a standing ovation
ReplyDeleteMy kids hate their Lands End backpacks because they can't get them to fall apart enough to get new ones, sparkly pony or barbie or whatever hideousness is out there. But here in Switz, they use these strange boxy bags with wheels, so maybe they'll get their wish after all. Because it'll be a lot cheaper than the requested iPhone (which their school friends *do* have).
ReplyDeleteI really do love that M's fashion sense.
She's so poised, that one! And, as always, I love her outfit.
ReplyDeleteYou're learning. ;-)
ReplyDelete