#1:
Our first real snowfall! And Ethan’s first time driving in the snow. (Photo taken from passenger seat on the way to Ethan’s 7 am McDonald’s shift.)
It wasn’t a ton of snow and it was wet, so it really wasn’t very slippery.
But we still managed to have an argument (before leaving home) as I felt he was downplaying a bit the seriousness of snow + driving. Let’s just say, his inexperience was showing. 🙄
Behind the wheel he actually did just fine and was appropriately cautious, but I didn’t like his kind of “it’s no big deal” attitude as we were leaving home. Also, it was early and I hadn’t slept well, so I think I retorted something like “well okay, if you are going to think you know everything, then I just won’t let you get your license when you turn 16!” I also informed him that when he experiences for the first time the very scary sensation of hitting your brakes and your car not stopping, he may change his opinion on how much respect snow deserves.
#2:
I spent a large part of the day putting up our main Christmas decorations. The tree was already up, as well as my Christmas village in the sunroom.
But I now got the rest of the decorations up. Yay!
Photo above is a shot of one of our built ins by the fireplace. I swap out my usual decor for Christmas stuff, including my collection of yearly Santa photos from when the boys were little.
Here’s the other side with a few more… I even have a couple other Santa pics that I don’t have on display! My mom bought me these every year for Christmas when the kids were younger.
#3:
Asher made himself a “gourmet hot chocolate” (just instant powder mix, but he added chocolate syrup and chocolate chips and whipped cream) to drink while he made a detailed birthday and Christmas list (complete with links to various products). Haha. I actually love that he added links!! Saves us time trying to search for things. lol.
#4:
We have reintroduced “enforced reading time”. It pains me- it pains me DEEPLY- to say that the boys have suddenly not been reading very much at home lately. My boys! The ones who used to have books literally glued to their faces 24/7. The ones who strangers would come up to in public to compliment them on how they were “so young and reading such a big book!” The ones who read books faster than I could keep them in the house.
I don’t know if it’s an age thing, or more likely, a stupid technology thing (as playing xbox games with their friends is more enticing) 😖😖😖, but all I know is they haven’t been reading even a fraction of what they used to.
And I am not okay with it!!!
I realize not everyone in the world has to be a “reader”. But my boys have always truly loved reading (especially Ethan). I never had to force them to read, ever. So it seems very suspicious that they would suddenly “fall out of love with reading”. No?
Seems more like it’s just getting crowded out by a more addictive/exciting option.
Ivan and I decided we will go back to enforcing daily reading as a household requirement (which we always had for years but have gotten a bit lax on recently, given their ages…). I am quite certain that once they get back into good books, they will WANT to keep reading more again. I hope.
I know I can’t enforce this forever, and I do think (per some nervous Google searching on the topic) that it’s pretty normal for teens to read less than their 8-12 year old selves. But trust me, they have time to read for 20 minutes or so a day.
Have you decorated for Christmas yet? How’s your “driving in snow” game? If you have or had teens, did you notice any drop off in reading interest around this age??
Daily Gratitude:
I am grateful that my house is fully decorated for Christmas!!! Zero gift buying has commenced yet (more on this later but I am just NOT feeling gift shopping at all this year!!! Kind of generally dreading it, for some reason… I like actually giving gifts but I loathe the stress of trying to figure out WHAT to give people, if I don’t have great ideas.) But at least my house is festive.
GRATEFUL KAE 
I find the enforced reading time so inspiring! Have they been agreeable about it? My son is much younger (6) but I could see how other things could crowd out reading, sometimes it’s a stretch to get reading homework done and that’s T’s ONLY homework.
We read loads to him, and he’s always got an audiobook on, but I think he’s at that awkward age where his reading ability hasn’t caught up with his intellectual ability. So he’s listening (and understanding) these incredibly complex, long stories, but on the reading side, it’s easy readers/early chapter books aloud, so those of course seem boring in comparison?
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Yes to this! I’m at the same place with my son (9) who is still reading easier books, but has a lot more intellectual capacity. Also, he just doesn’t seem to love reading (thought he loves being read to, and listens to audiobooks daily!). It bothers me as an avid reader who was always buried in a book, but he loves to be active and playing sports and so I know I can’t force a fit. Still, it pains me. Reading is his only homework this year, too, and it’s a struggle to get him to do it daily. Mostly because he almost never reaches for a book himself.
Oh well. He CAN read and books will always be there when he wants them and he is surrounded by opportunities. No need to force a fit, I suppose.
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Yes, they haven’t fought me on it though they haven’t exactly volunteered it, either. I asked how their books were last night, and Ethan said, “Actually, this one I started is really really good.” So I hope this will help him remember why he’s always loved reading so much!
We actually never did audiobooks with our kids! Not entirely sure why… I think I was maybe a little worried that they’d somehow prefer that and then shy away from physical books. Both of mine were very early, strong readers and I think that’s what makes their sudden reluctance even worse! That was one area of parenting that I sort of felt like I “got it right” (though I know that in actuality it’s not exactly something I “did”, I’m sure, haha… ) and now it feels like, wait, why is this happening?!
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Can I admit I had heart palpitations when I saw the snow? This terrifies me for my kids. Maybe we need to move to a warmer climate before they learn to drive.
Though, to be fair, driving in the rain bothers me more than snow. Hydroplaning is terrifying and I feel like people NEVER adjust their speed for rain and drive like maniacs. I’m going cautiously, but am worried about the people flying past me in the passing lane.
Your house looks so festive. And it just warmed my heart to see the picture of Charlie on the bed. What a sweet companion for everyone in your family.
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Yes, I agree! I think people tend to think that rain is no big deal, but it can be equally scary!!
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I definitely read less when I was a teen (though I read a lot as a child and now as an adult). Swimming, boys, and the mall were just too enticing.. lol. Oh, and chatting on AIM with my friends.
That is scary about the snow, but also I’m kind of jealous you have snow already!! My daughter is at an age where she LOVES building snowmen- we literally talk about it all year long- I’m excited for her to do this this year!
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If I’m honest, I know that I also read way less as a teen…in fact, I don’t really remember just sitting around my house reading much at ALL at that age. I know I read on road trips, beach vacations, etc. But while I remember reading constantly at the younger ages, I really can’t recall reading as a 15, 16, 17 year old much. Then in college I know I read less too, as I was just reading so much for school that I don’t think I picked up many books on my free time.
Snow is SO CUTE with little ones!! Mine are sadly past the “go play in the snow” age, for the most part (unless it involves skiing or sledding), but I used to love watching them build forts, snowmen, etc.
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Yep- both my kids hardly read, SOB! My son read over the summer (we both read the Ender series) but it was kind of like a self-improvement project for him- “I will read, work out and practice every day.” He told me he hasn’t been reading at all this semester. And my daughter only reads if it’s required for school. She was never a huge reader (although she liked to be read to) but my son was a big reader in elementary school. Sigh.
My house is about half-decorated for Christmas, and I have to get it done! Right now there are still Thanksgiving things out, and bins sitting around everywhere. It’s a mess.
I like the gourmet hot chocolate! I’m thinking Asher provided links on his list so you wouldn’t accidentally get him the wrong thing- that’s what my daughter would do.
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I think it makes sense in college that kids don’t read as much… if college is still like it was when I went, you read a LOT of textbooks, other books, etc. So I guess that may be why. I know Ethan is reading literature for English at school and other classes, but I still would love to see him reach for a book instead of just his phone all the time in his free time.
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I have NOT decorated for the holidays yet. My husband was in A Mood yesterday and I did not want to test him with asking if he’d help me bring up the tree. Oh, well. Next weekend it is!
The snow was so beautiful yesterday morning. Now I’m 100% over it and would like it to go away.
I definitely read less in high school and college than at any other time in my life. I just had so much to do! As an adult, I can limit all the extraneous nonsense so I can just read.
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Haha… yes, dealing with a big annoying Christmas tree is definitely better when one is in a good mood 😉
I’m hopeful then that they will still be lifelong readers. If even you didn’t read that much as a teen, and you read CRAZY amounts now, then there’s still hope!
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I hate driving in the snow! I find it SO stressful. The roads were pretty slippery in our neighborhood on Saturday night. We have quite a few hills in our neighborhood and those are always treacherous even when we barely get any snow. I am glad Evan did ok overall but I can totally understand your comment about his know-it-all attitude!
We decorated for Christmas a couple of weeks ago. The advent calendar is out but hasn’t been filled. The boys keep asking about it. I just put some m&ms in the drawers for them. This year they’ll also get a lego advent calendar which I think will be a big hit with them as both boys are into lego now.
I think it’s natural for their reading time to subside during the high school and college years. Hopefully they’ll find their way back to that hobby. I remember reading in high school, but not a TON. Same goes for college. I think I was so fatigued by all of the other reading.
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Aww, a Lego advent calendar will be so fun! I wish I had done that. We always just did the little chocolate ones. Nothing fancy, but they still liked them. I think there are so many fun advent calendar ideas nowadays… I don’t remember so much variety when the boys were little! Or maybe I just didn’t know.
And yes, I do think all the other school reading can kind of put a damper on wanting to read more for fun. But with the amount of time that they “waste” (my perception…surely not theirs, haha…), it really feels like at least a small amount of daily reading at home can/should happen.
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Reading – good topic. G can’t read on her own yet. We read to her every night and she really resists if we try to skip! The other two will only read if a) they do not have any screen access b) there isn’t anything else obvious to do. We do tell them to read in bed and often they do (they’d rather read than go to sleep!).
I don’t care WHAT my kids are reading really (I wasn’t into highbrow literature either at their ages!) but I want them to practice focusing on something NOT on a screen for >20 min . . . to prevent atrophy of whatever attention capabilities are left!
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Ah yes, the suave sophisticated teenager who thinks the rules of driving apply to everyone else. I might know and/or live with a couple of guys like that.
I like the idea of mandatory reading time. It’s just 20 minutes, and compared to all of the other “chores” and “have to’s” in a teenagers life this has to be one of the best assignments. Hey when they’re grown up and under their own roofs they don’t have to keep reading if they don’t want to – but my guess is that they will want to.
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Reading… I think it’s a habit that would be easily dropped if they are into devises more often because devises tend to shorten attention span and makes reading less enjoyable.
I notice it myself so I’m hard in enforcing no devises with my girls and they still prefer reading in leisure time than doing nothing or plan.
I think as they get older, it would be harder to enforce, thus start early is important for them to realize the joy of reading.
love your Christmas decor.
and I agree that I’d be upset if girls tell me they know all.
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I think it’s normal that reading ebbs and flows (and I think it’s normal that teens have a lot of competing interests all of a sudden) but I also believe that 20 min of reading daily doesn’t hurt anyone 😉
I love the display of all the annual Christmas photos – such a cute idea to decorate 🙂
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I love the idea of having sustained reading time for the kids! I think it’s natural for reading to fall to the wayside for teens, but hopefully this reading time will help (+ seeing you reading!)
SNOW. It was 45 degrees here this morning (I’m in Florida) and I was miserable, even though I have been longing for colder days. I don’t know how y’all do it!
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Like most of the commenters, I read less in college. But I was an avid reader in HS, too, although less than when I was in elementary and middle school. Nursing school is tough – you have no time, a, and b, you’re reading all. the. time.
I imagine that school and work and X box are pulling their attention away from books… but I bet they come back to it! People who are socialized to be readers rarely seem to stray too far from that foundation. 🙂
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