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Hi all! This subject is the text message I received today from my 8-year-old niece. Brief background: My brother had two kids with a bar fly, he has been fairly irresponsible, she has law enforcement in the family, so his "legal rights" are nil from an enforcement standpoint. Terrible situation. I try to side with neither, and put the girls first -- though I live 5 hours away.
Mom lets 8-year-old start texting me, which was fun for the first 5 minutes. Couple days later, I'm getting 20 messages in rapid succession. We have also emailed, talk on the phone, I had them up for a weeks' visit, etc. I kindly asked Mom to have her do the texting a little less, to no avail. Niece says "we are bored, " and "me aint doing nothing," in response to my inquiries.
So, I sent helpful messages, suggesting the library, climbing trees, building forts, acting out stories, playing dress up......you know, all those dull things we did as kids.
Make sure everything you say and write is grammatically correct. She'll get the picture, and start writing the way you do. Tell her to go to dictionary.com and look up "fort".
What exactly makes you want to cry - that she didn't know what "fort" meant or that she sent you a text message using texting shorthand?
That she didn't know what fort meant!
I appreciate all the responses (and CD lost my earlier response in cyber-foggy-bottom-land!).......I think the online dictionary is a terrific idea. I am sure there is no dictionary in the home (I'll take care of that)....Mom boasts that she's read one book in her life, and that's because she had to in high school. There is no "neglect" per se, but trust me, the example is not stellar for my wee nieces. And I hold my brother at fault as well.
I do provide informative, grammatically correct responses with suggestions to alleviate boredom that I hope will foster some imaginative play......other than the time spent texting such gems as "me aint doing nothing." (remember, this is age eight) Mom is way too party-focused to provide guidance with language, though she is right beside daughter (as evidenced by the occasional timely text input from Mom).
I do believe she knows how to pronounce the word "fort," so I don't believe this led her astray. These kids are just not exposed to ideas. Which is why I lament, and do what I can do, both during visits with them, and while they are in their home environment.
This is my first foray into the Parenting section of CD, and I am so impressed (and reassured) by all the sensible folks!!!
Depending on where she lives, I don't think it's necessarily unusual for an 8 year old GIRL not to know what a fort is. I'm more concerned with whether or not she used "wt" as shorthand or if she hasn't figured out vowel placement yet. For her not to know the correct pronoun is a bit troubling too. These are mistakes of a 1st grader. The fact that she's so bored that she's texting you constantly is troubling too. Is she not in some type of remedial class? If not, she needs to be.
Depending on where she lives, I don't think it's necessarily unusual for an 8 year old GIRL not to know what a fort is. I'm more concerned with whether or not she used "wt" as shorthand or if she hasn't figured out vowel placement yet. For her not to know the correct pronoun is a bit troubling too. These are mistakes of a 1st grader. The fact that she's so bored that she's texting you constantly is troubling too. Is she not in some type of remedial class? If not, she needs to be.
Good observations! "Wt" is used as shorthand, thank goodness -- she uses this and a couple of others. I am very concerned over the pronoun misuse, and certainly over the boredom in general.
She lives in a small, rural town in the south, in the country. So, I am guessing that a fort should be in the vernacular! And yes, for girls! Or maybe things were just so back in the day, when we had to self-entertain.
She will be entering third grade this fall, so my concerns are valid. I will continue to provide books as gifts, and find other ways to bring creativity to her life, and her younger sister. Thanks for your input, and I'll keep checking for more ideas from the good folks here.
I will continue to provide books as gifts, and find other ways to bring creativity to her life, and her younger sister. Thanks for your input, and I'll keep checking for more ideas from the good folks here.
This is great that she does have you in her life as a positive influence to provide such gifts. Exposure to new things that bring about curiosity and exploration are a great gift.
I also thought the suggestion of the online dictionary was a good one. In fact, if the girl's phone is web-enabled she could look it up with her cell phone and she'd probably like that since it revolves around her phone. Computers, cell phones, and game boxes - if kids do have access to these mediums - have definitely changed the definition of "play" in today's world.
Whether she has a web-enabled phone or computer, maybe there is a way to get her hooked into Wikipedia (or some other online encyclopedia-type site) so that she can read about things that interest her. With many embedded links in the entries, she could possibly link from one thing to another. While this may not be my first choice of activities for a youngster, it might at least get her reading and learning if she is plugged into all the technology. Perhaps she can then text you about a tidbit she has actually learned rather than random boredom tidbits. The real challenge here, in my opinion, is getting her engaged in activities without being right there to model some of those activities for her. Good luck! And keep up the good work!
We have the mega fort and I am amazed Cranium stopped making them. My kids love it. I was able to purchase it from the Cranium site 2 years ago. Apparently that is not an option any more.
Seems like mom likes the kid to be busy (hence all the texting) to you so she doesn't have to deal with her.
Sad situation. People should really think about who they have children with and how the kids suffer in the end.
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