Teaching for the Impatient

I have ADHD. Seriously. I was diagnosed with it in college and used Ritalin to get me through my math and science requirements. I am incredibly impatient and bore really, really easily.

So, it's interesting trying reconcile my inability to stay focused and communicate any kind of learning with my 2 year old, who is, by definition, unfocused and hyperactive.

We read lots - lots and lots. Along with the books mentioned in this post we also have several several art books, an elementary school age anatomy book that The Boy has an inexplicable fondness for and our new favorite: a book about the solar system called "What's Out There,"

We have alphabet flash cards, alphabet blocks and an alphabet book - all of which The Boy loves. He's also taken to having me draw letters with crayons or on his etch-a-scetch thingy, but whatever letter he asks for always seems stand for me, Hubs or Cat, regardless of what actual letter he asked for. "Draw 'A'!" He'll say, then after I do he'll say "A is for Dada." Whatever, it's something. And I love seeing the excitement in his little face when he's learning.

Still, as well as we're doing it's an interesting process. He'll have me read The Gruffalo 10 times in a row then insist on skipping pages in Mother Goose. He loves being educated on his eyes, lungs and pancreas but often finds Thomas boring. Then there's my low boredom threshold - You'd be surprised how quickly a book can be read when you've already read it several times and you'd much rather be playing with Legos.

I read catalogues and junk mail and try desperately to read with feeling the backs of books and instructions to toys. The Boy is insatiable. I am easily bored, but I read things as often as he wants and explain things as banal as the difference between paws and hands because I love him more than my own life.

SO who cares if there isn't really much to actually read in the latest JCrew catalogue! If The Boy says, "Mama read," I read.