a pleasant surprise

Yesterday our oldest child had his first day of summer school. His school calls it "summer camp" for what I assume is to make it sound more appealing to kids, but I think that's a bit misleading. It's free and only kids that are behind are invited to come. That's not camp. That's summer school. Canon has been excited about going since before the regular school year let out and I had a feeling that all the hype was going to back fire. When we picked him up yesterday at noon, my suspicions were confirmed.

"How was it? Did you have fun?"

"We did not even do a single fun thing! It was worse than school! I don't want to go back ever."

We asked him what they did, and he told us that they were supposed to write a story and then build an at aquarium, but you had to write your story first. We asked him if the teacher was nice and did she help him at all, and he said that she was really nice, but that he didn't really need any help with his assignment. Ah! The truth comes out! Building the aquarium was the fun part that he didn't get to do, not because he couldn't write a story, but because he just didn't want to write a story.

This morning when my husband woke him up, Canon was still saying that he didn't want to go back ever. Hmm...I don't want him to be miserable and hate school, that's for sure. His teacher suggested him for this, but she was also going to promote him to second grade for next year and I'm having him repeat first grade instead. So, if he is going to repeat the grade, does he really need to be in summer school to prep him for the grade he isn't even entering? No sooner had we decided that if he really doesn't want to go, then we won't make him go, does Canon walk in dressed, ready to go, AND holding his ESV bible that the church gave him on Sunday and The Action Bible New Testament that we got for him while we were out yesterday. (It's really neat. Written like a comic book, so much more appealing to my kid who doesn't have much interest in reading a regular book.) We asked him if he wanted to go or if he wanted to stay home and- get this- he wanted to go!!!!! He said something like, "Well, I really should go because I have a couple of things of work that I haven't finished yet." I smiled and looked at my husband and we asked him again, just to make sure, "Are you sure you want to go?" He kind of tucked his head and fiddled with his books and said, "I could go...."

What a mature decision he made, and a great example to set for his little brothers! He didn't have the funnest time ever, but he saw the value in what he was doing and even when provided with a way of getting out of it, chose to stick it out!! I'm so proud of him!

left to right: Doyle, Ephraim, Canon, Hickory (in stroller)