High Standards

Louise got a letter from her grandparents the other day and they asked her to write. A couple of days went by and I suggested it a few times. Finally, I got her to sit down with paper in front of her. But the writing totally stymies her. She hates not spelling exactly right, even though what she writes is certainly intelligible. Other times, I've tried taking dictation, but it's way too fun (and powerful) for her to watch me type as she speaks, and she adds all sorts of silly "ahems" and things. I've also tried helping her spell as she goes along, but this is worse, and completely distracts her from what she wants to say.

This time, I begged her to just write her own way, assuring her that they would understand. She did not like that idea. And while I wanted to suggest that she copy it over again, once I had corrected her spelling errors, I did not. Instead, I offered to copy it over myself. I was blown away by her answer: yes, I could copy it over for her, but she wanted to write it out again in her own handwriting. And she did. Score one for trusting your kids' standards.