Scribblings From Close to the Ground: “It’s Supposed to Be Hard.”
Welcome to another edition of “Scribblings from Close of the Ground”, wisdom from the mouths of babes, namely, Rocky and The Chick, my two daughters.
C: Hi, The Chick here!
R: and I’m Rocky, we’re Ted’s daughters and we know some stuff!
C: We’re both in school now, that means we’re smart.
R:We’re smart little farts!!
C: Rocky!! Remember what Mom and Dad said about saying fart!
R: Oops, sorry…hee hee
C: Rocky is learning about bears in school and I’m learning about reading and math.
R: She doesn’t like math.
C: Sometimes when I don’t understand it, I don’t want to do it anymore.
T: She starts crying! Wahhh! Then Dad has to get up and drink an adult beverage…
C: Rocky!! I just get really mad that I don’t understand it sometimes. But Dad says it’s supposed to be hard.
T: Dad says sometimes you must suffer…
C: But you don’t have to suffer if you understand that it’s supposed to be hard and that’s how we learn. Dad says that if you expect it to be easy…
R: …then you must suffer! Suffer! Hahaha!
C: Chill out Rocky! Dad explained to me that learning something is always uncomfortable and if you’re comfortable, then you’re not learning.
R: Dad says you have to perkiss.
C: It’s “persist” knucklehead! If you keep trying, you’ll figure it out and then you know it, and it gets easier. The worst thing is to give up because it’s hard, because it has to be hard for a while while you learn.
R: I want it to be easy always.
C: Then you’re the knucklehead because that’s not how it works. If you want it to be easy all the time then…
R: (singing operatically) You must suffer! Suffer! Suffer!
C: You have to practice not giving up or whenever it gets hard you’ll quit and be a loser.
R: (puts Loser “L” Fingers against forehead.) Loser! You must perspist!
C: Anyway, now that I know that it’s supposed to be hard, I don’t get so mad anymore and you know what? I’m doing better at my homework now because I’m not afraid anymore. I know that I can figure it out if I keep on trying. Dad says I have more conference, I think that’s what he says…
R: She does her homework really fast now so she can watch SpongeBob.
C: So the marlo of the story is that if you want to learn anything, it’s going to be hard and that’s ok, don’t give up, you’ll figure it out and don’t be scared just because it’s hard. Have conference, um, I think it’s confidence…and persist.
R: And don’t want it to be always easy and cry and give up and be a loser because that means…
R and C: You will suffer!! Bye!
Rocky and The Chick
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Keep up the good work girls. Sometimes you do have to suffer to learn things, but it’s worth it because then you are smarter than when you started.
Thank you for reading and commenting Grandma!
Out of the mouth of babes…
Ted – your daughters are as witty as you! They are both very clever, with lots of insight for two grammar school chickies!
Thanks Armida!
I can hear saying this. Great post. Equally applicable to their mommy 😉
Love it. I also want it to be easy all the time like Rocky but realized I will not grow without attempting things I am unable to do.
Hi Aby! Thanks for your comment!
From a math teacher…Persisting is not the same as SUFFERING…
Please don’t let kids associate being persistent in a subject (such as math) with suffering.
The next thing you know they will be saying that they’re not good at it (which is a BELIEF) and not necessarily a truth.
Just saying…
Perhpas I didn’t make the point clear enough, which is if you DON’T persist you will suffer. If you expect it to be easy and it’s not you will suffer. The point was to have confidence in your ability to figure it out and persist until you do. There is no need for suffering.