One of the great things about secular homeschooling is that we get to choose when we want our holidays - not a school, not a religion - we choose. The week before last, most kids were off on Easter break, but Lu chose to wait a bit more for his break, as this week one of the most exciting things that happens in our town begins... the town fair! But, I'm getting ahead of myself.
So Friday was our last school day before our break. We all usually go to bed pretty early, but we stayed up until midnight on Friday. I said I wanted to stay up a while working, and Lu said he would do the same...
The next morning he showed me what he'd been working on. He had copied the lyrics of one of his favorite songs from a website, with PERFECT handwriting. I should be happy right? Well, I was infuriated. I couldn't believe how neat, and even pretty, his handwriting was. E.V.E.R.Y.D.A.Y I fight with this boy about his handwriting. And what do ya know? As soon as we're on break, not only does he sit down to write for 2 straight hours, but he does it with the kind of handwriting I beg of him on a daily basis. Grrrrrr.... But then Cha pointed out that at least all my efforts have been worthwhile - the boy can print nicely when he really wants to.
Over the weekend Lu got into this flight simulation program, which I think is pretty cool. We have a weekend/vacation-only policy with video games, so I'm super glad that he is choosing this over the other (few) video game options we have, as he could be playing Mad Birds or whatever it's called.
So, back to the town fair. We have one every year. I hate it. Lu loves it. The streets become filled with vendors selling the most useless plastic sh**, everyone gets stupid drunk, there is loud music until midnight for a whole week, and the town is left covered in trash. Next week I'll post photos of the infamous ferris wheel that rolls into town, in rusty pieces - some held together with wire where bolts are missing - that must be 100 years old.
The first vendors have arrived, but it's only just starting. One of the main attractions for Lu is the video arcade. The machines are brought in on pick-up trucks and stay for a few weeks. Lu doesn't go near the violent games, which limits his choices, but he totally respects my rule about this. Today he played a Mario bros game and some other 20-year-old pac-man looking thing. We went early, while other kids were still in school, so that Lu could have the whole arcade to himself, but there was a small group of boys there who must have been skipping class for some Street Fighter.
Of course I really don't like this. Not one bit. I wish we could just hide out at home until the fair passed, but Lu, like all the other kids in town, is excited as can be. There isn't really even that much to do besides the arcade and a few other really pathetic fair-type rip-off win-a-prize games. But it's not about that, Lu explains, it's just about going and seeing, and also being seen I suppose. So I have to bite my tongue and walk the six-minute walk down the mountain and into town with him. The boys here can be rough, so I don't wander too far from the arcade.
I hate waiting around, but don't have much choice in this situation,
so I take some pics while I wait.
By the time I took this one, I was desperately bored:
So I took a peek inside the make-shift tent arcade
and discretely asked if we could go soon.
On the way home Lu related that one boy tried to push him off his game, but that he had stood his ground. He also said that he's feeling much stronger and tougher than he did last year when he was easily bullied off the games. And yeah, me too. I'm feeling more confident in his abilities to defend himself. It definitely puts a mama at ease to know that her kiddo can stand up to a bully with muscle, wit and word.
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