Shameless bragging!
I am SO DAMNED PROUD of The Boy! We are just shy of a month past the Bar Mitzvah and he is almost done with his thank you notes. In fact, he decided to get up early to do a couple this morning because he'll be home late today.
I'm not sure that I can adequately explain why that is so extraordinary. The Boy is dysgraphic; there is a neurological disconnect between his brain and his hand when he tries to write. He has strategies that help and things have gotten easier but even after years of work with an OT he writes slowly and rather messily. Generally, he keyboards all his school work aside from algebra and Japanese (numbers are no problem for him at all - brains are funky).
He's been writing 4-5 thank you notes a day, every day, for four weeks now. Each one takes him five to ten minutes to write. They're not always the prettiest letters in the world but every single one of them is a triumph of gratitude of spirit over fine motor frustration!*
The Boy FTW!
*Of course it doesn't hurt that if he writes without prompting I address the envelope for him, that we have a stash of Simpsons stamps for postage, and that the reward for five notes is an episode of Dr. Who or Torchwood - hey, I am a strong believer in positive reinforcement!
I'm not sure that I can adequately explain why that is so extraordinary. The Boy is dysgraphic; there is a neurological disconnect between his brain and his hand when he tries to write. He has strategies that help and things have gotten easier but even after years of work with an OT he writes slowly and rather messily. Generally, he keyboards all his school work aside from algebra and Japanese (numbers are no problem for him at all - brains are funky).
He's been writing 4-5 thank you notes a day, every day, for four weeks now. Each one takes him five to ten minutes to write. They're not always the prettiest letters in the world but every single one of them is a triumph of gratitude of spirit over fine motor frustration!*
The Boy FTW!
*Of course it doesn't hurt that if he writes without prompting I address the envelope for him, that we have a stash of Simpsons stamps for postage, and that the reward for five notes is an episode of Dr. Who or Torchwood - hey, I am a strong believer in positive reinforcement!