As you moms out there probably know, it’s back to school shopping time.
As you moms out there also probably know, it’s important to encourage a young child when they are a beginning reader.
Grant has become a good reader, with a pretty voracious appetite for new words to read.
Great, right? I always thought so.
I took him shopping to Kohl’s over the weekend for new shoes. If you’ve been to Kohl’s, you know that the shoes are displayed on the top of bookcase-like shelves, and the actual boxes of shoes are underneath. Or put another way: Grant can’t see the actual shoes… just the labeled boxes on the shelves.
Scene: Kohl’s shoe dept.
Grant: “Mom! I want Tony Hawk Blasters!!!”
Me: (looking at the shoe he wants) “No Grant. You pick shoes based on if you like how they look, not based on what the name is. Did you even see the shoes that are here?”
Grant: “I want the Blasters!”
Me: “Stop reading. Don’t look at the labels, look at the shoes themselves.”
(at this point I pick him up so that he can be at eye level with the shoes on display. I realize he is still not looking at the shoes, but is trying to read the names on the price tags…)
Me: “Grant! Stop reading! I don’t want you to read the tags and labels. Don’t read anything. Just look at the shoes. Which pair do you like that way it looks.”
Grant: (who is still trying to scan the tags and still isn’t looking at the shoes) “I like the Blasters….”
Me: “Grant! I don’t want you to read the name! Just look at the shoe itself! The Blasters have orange on them. They will not match anything in your closet. Pick the shoe based on How. It. Looks. And stop reading! Do you understand? No. More. Reading.”
Grant: “Oh. I like these ones.”
Me: “Fine. I like those too and they’ll go with everything.”
Grant: “But what are they called…?”
ugh.
(And just a side note. The pair he ultimately chose? They’re called “Detour.” I guess “Irony” didn’t test well with consumers….)
Damn readers!
That’s hilarious! I love that kid.
So funny! Part of me can’t wait for Layla to read, and the other part, shessh! Then I won’t be able to spell things aloud to the hubs.
Ha! There’s always a downside.
I can’t believe that you use “what they will go with in your wardrobe” as a method for choosing shoes for your son! So funny! Your son must be very colour-coordinated 🙂
Please, don’t be offended by what I said above! I just meant that I wouldn’t bother about the colour if it were me. If my son chose orange shoes that fit well and were well-constructed and looked like they were going to last, he could have them no matter how much orange he did or didn’t have in his wardrobe. He could have purple and pink polka dots for all I care! I just don’t use colour as a serious consideration when I’m buying shoes for him. That’s just me.
The drawbacks of reading- you can no longer use the spell the word communication system!
Ack! That’s my boy!! Reads everything. Which can be a pain.
Well at lest he wanted the BLASTERS not the BASTARDS!
Good reading buddy!
It’s better than my kiddo wanting the damn sketcher z-straps cause he’s too LAZY to tie his shoes!!!
~Becca
LOL! Grant! Stop READING!
Sometimes the reading does come back to bite you in the butt!
STOP READING! well this post made me laugh, and i needed that!
Ha! That is funny. I can still spell things out in front of mine, ahhh I so love that. Although, since my sisters kids are all older I can’t do it with them anymore. Dang!