We had company this weekend.  Our company are “online” friends who have become very close to us.  Q and Z absolutely love these two people and look forward to their visits.  Explaining the impact that these two people have had on the boys would take forever but simply stated the boys would be lost without them in their lives.

I say that just to give you background.  This past weekend, while our friends were here, they showed the boys a new on line game.  Each boy was so excited to get home and download it so that they could play.  Our friends emailed both boys the website as well as some quick instructions on playing.  The excitement of getting home last night to begin the large download was just to much!  Both boys ran into the house, getting to their computers to check their email and begin the download. 

I did not think that either would sleep knowing that when they got up this morning they could play the game.  Just before I said goodnight to them I said “You know that you can not play until after your schoolwork is done.”  That statement was not met with moans or groans but with a nod and agreement.  

Getting to my point.  My 6 year old is very active; bouncing all over the place with what we jokingly (affectionately) call “the attention span of a gnat”.  The boys got up and raced to their computers to make sure that the download worked and then immediately signed on to T4L.  I was surprised by not having to “remind” them to first do their schoolwork and sat at my computer listening to them each doing their lessons for the day.

Zman is doing both 2nd and 3rd grade work and although he jiggs and moves the whole time he is working, he pays close attention and does very well on his tests and quizzes.  Neither boy “rushed” through their lessons and I was surprised by that, setting myself up very early for the “fight” to slow down that I knew was coming.  The game that they were so looking forward to was hanging over their heads but they both did their work like any other day.

Q finished his work first and started playing his game.  Zman had issues in math and has himself convinced of not being able to do it but finally got it done and started on his LA Extensions; zipping through like normal. (any type of English is his most enjoyable area)   School work was finally over and Z was able to sign on, create his character and start playing for the first time.

That is when it hit me…  Within about 10 minutes Z signed off the game and was heading to his room for something.  I turned to ask him what he was doing and he said that he did not want to play anymore.  I was amazed several times today but that was the biggest shocker.  T4L can hold his interest for as long as 2 hours at a time but this new, anticipated game only held his interest for 10 or 15 minutes the first time he played it.  I wondered if it was the repetition of the game or maybe the complex ideas of it that he got tired of so quickly.  I asked him the difference but gave me his 6 year old answer of “I don’t know”….  The biggest threat that I could ever make would be to switch back to traditional book work solely for school work.  I find myself pondering the difference in him between his ability to sit and pay attention and keep at each lesson every day and him playing an online game with his brother.

Today showed me many things. My boys can be responsible for making the right choices, they possess the maturity of realizing that their schoolwork is very important and needs to be done well, and Zman truly does enjoy learning more than playing a game.  I already knew that T4L was working for us but it was so evident today that we had made the right choice in this year’s curriculum.

Tomorrow might be different, you never know.  Each day represents something new learned, some new realization on my part or a new discussion about something learned.  Today was a good day and opened my eyes about my 6 year old and more importantly that my 9 year old is taking school work seriously.