I have two daughters. This we know to be truth.
And their personalities have gotten so different lately.
Today in school, they each had a review lesson in grammar. They use the same grammar curriculum, however, they are at different grade levels. They just happened to both fall on a review day today.
So, without further ado, here is a sampling of how different my girls are.
Please. Pretend to be interested.
Reviewing common and proper nouns with Daisy Mae (age 8, 3rd grade).
Me: Ok, so I am going to read you some nouns. If you think it is a proper noun, stand up. If you think it is a common noun, stay seated. Got it?
Daisy Mae (grinning and squirming with delight): Yes! Got it!
Me: city
(She stays seated)
(Homeschooling for the win!)
Me: Abraham Lincoln
Daisy Mae stands up and does some sort of a jumping jack move with a twirl that ends with jazz hands.
DM: Proper!
***
Reviewing common and proper nouns with Sweet Pea (age 9, 4th grade)
Me: Ok, we are reviewing common and proper nou-
Sweet Pea: Yeah, I know.
Me: You remember what common and proper nouns are?
Sweet Pea: Yeah, mom. I know.
Me: Fantastic. Let’s review. If I say a proper noun, you need to stand up and if –
Sweet Pea: Seriously, mom?
Me: What?
Sweet Pea (dramatic sigh): I have to . . . stand up?
Me: Fine. How about if you just tell me if you think the noun is proper or common after I read it.
Sweet Pea: Fine.
Me: city
Sweet Pea: Common
***
Reviewing action verbs with Daisy Mae.
Daisy Mae is still on a common noun/proper noun high from before. And understandably so. Because what could be more exciting than the reviewing of the nouns? I ask you?
Well. Maybe a little “action verbs.”
Me: I am going to say an action verb.
DM (grinning and about to fall out of her chair. Life is that good for her right now): OK!
Me: If I say, “wiggle,” you need to show me what wiggling looks like and say a sentence with the word “wiggle” in it. For example, you could wiggle and then say, “I wiggle in my chair.”
DM (beaming): OK!
Me: Ok, the first verb is “sing.”
Daisy Mae, stands up and clears space around her. This is a survival instinct, of course. The girl is known to walk into street signs, walls, and the like.
She dramatically throws her head back and sings in the most obnoxious, operatic voice I have ever heard. Hands flailing. Legs twirling. Knees bending.
Why?
I have no idea.
DM: I sing beautifully.
Me: Alright. Next verb.
Reviewing action verbs with Sweet Pea.
Me: Let’s review action verbs.
Sweet Pea: Mom. I know what action verbs are.
Me: Ok. But we are still going to review them. I am going to say an action verb. You need to complete that action . . .
Sweet Pea is looking at me almost as if I were an insane-crazy person.
Me: . . . and you need to tell me a sentence using that action verb.
Sweet Pea (sighing): Seriously?
Me: Yup. First word: sing.
Sweet Pea (in the most monotone voice ever): I sing. La.
***
And there you have it, guys and gals. My girls are complete opposites.
That is all.
Ha! Love it!
(I wonder if Sweet Pea is not just that much closer to being a ‘teen’, thus the attitude difference?)
Great story, love it. I have boys and they are opposites as well. One is Mr. Imagination and one is Mr. Literal. Your girls sound like lots of fun.
Daisy Mae and my daughter2 should meet. I feel they are kindred spirits : )
I’m not sure I was ever taught what common nouns and proper nouns are. I know I only learned the definition of nouns, and verbs from Mad Lib books! Perhaps that is because I went to 5 different elementary schools. Hmm…your girls have surpassed my English skills already!
I sing LA!!!!!!!
That is the funniest thing I have ever heard!
That is going to be my new go to phrase!
If I like something I will say, “I sing! La!”
If I need to be thankful and don’t want to be, I will say, “I sing la.”
If I want to praise God, it’s all, “I sing! LA!”
AWESOME!
Sweet Pea made. my. day!
Re: SP – get used to it, it may be around a loooong time. My 30-yr-old still has it.
Grammar…fun fun fun. My oldest daughter is 9 and will do anything to get out of it. Thanks for sharing. That was funny. I am sure it was frustrating when it happens but it makes for a great homeschooling story.
I think we use the same grammar curriculum. This sounds suspiciously like the way grammar goes down in our house. Only I’m the one who goes, “Girls, you don’t have to actually do the actions if you don’t want to.” Cause who’s a killjoy? Me.
I am so bummed I went to public school, I would have loved this subject much better with singing and dancing lol.
This made me laugh so.
Here, it is just Michaela who is at this level of Grammar instruction, and yet, I can have similar experiences. Hmmm…and we haven’t even gotten to the real-deal-hormones; good times. 😉
I myself am a Sweet Pea but I really, really wish that I were a Daisy Mae. Life is just so much more FUN for them.
I really laughed at this one. I have an 11 1/2 year old girl who waivers between those two attitudes constantly! I never know which personality she will have day to day, or sometimes even hour to hour. Can anyone say bi-polar? Or hormones raging? Or let’s make Mom crazy and lead her to drink?
Daisy Mae all the way! Although your Sweet Pea sounds like she may be laughing on the inside?
This really IS a laugh out loud post. I’m with Giana on this; I will use this as my pet phrase as well…
Bummed? I sing la
Joyful? I SING, LAAAAAAAAAAAA!!!!
Oh the joys of children!
heehee