Fall Curriculum Prep

There are copious amounts of things I want to teach the PBA. There are non book-learnin’ things that they will need to know to survive in the real world.

Well, much of it you COULD learn from a book, but I try, when I can, to appeal to the kinesthetic learning style of the PBA.

Things such as cooking, cleaning, yard work, laundry. Fun stuff.

We’ve made paths into each, to varying degrees, but still have far to go until they would be considered “self-sufficient”.

We’ve done a small amount of cooking. They can both make ramen noodles and various other “easy” dishes, so I know they won’t starve. And the 11yo can cut up fruits and veggies fairly adeptly…and what I mean by that is that I no longer hover to ensure that he won’t cut off a digit in the process.

He’s not speedy about his cutting (and frankly I’m ok with that…enough other things are rushed through in the course of a day that we need not rush slicing fruit or veggies…lest we lose an aforementioned finger in the course of it.)

We’ve done some work on folding laundry…still working on that with the 10yo. It is always abundantly obvious when he’s folded the laundry. Because there’s no real “folding” to it. It’s mostly just a general sorting of the laundry into a pile for each of the respective owners.

However, it has come to my attention that we clearly need to focus a bit more on laundry. As in the process of it and what those two large machines in the laundry room as used for.

The PBA may not starve, but if they stink because their clothes are dirty, they may be left all alone. With their Ramen noodles.

The 10yo came to me yesterday morning. “Mom, can I borrow your hair dryer?”

“Well sure!”

For years now I have been trying to get him to blow dry his crazy, messy hair instead of letting it air dry. It’s not that it takes THAT long for his hair to air dry, but he’s not very good about towel drying it either, and thus using either a towel or the hair dryer would speed up the hair drying process immensely.

But wait…I realized that he was not the one who had just gotten out of the shower. His hair was dry; he’d showered the night before, just in case you were wondering…and lest you think me negligent in the personal hygiene department.

He was wearing his t-shirt, skivvies and socks…but no pants.

The pants he was holding in his hand.

“So why, exactly do you need the hair dryer, Darling?”

“To dry my pants.”

“Ummm…no, that’s not what the hair dryer is for.”

“But this part (he motioned toward the waistband) is still a little damp.” (Yes, that’s exactly what he said “a little damp”…perhaps he and I spend too much time together.)

If I hadn’t been slightly frustrated with him, I might have laughed. I laughed about it later, which is why you are being afforded the opportunity to read about it.

“Well, why don’t we just put it in the clothes dryer?”

Exasperated sigh, because clearly I am missing something. “But I need them fast!”

“Trust me, dude…the clothes dryer will be much faster than the hair dryer.”

Another sigh “Fine…” (insert his eyeroll here…and while he’s walking toward the laundry room, I’m simultaneously shouting instructions for the dryer).

And what do you know?!?  In just a handful of minutes, the pants were dry. See I DO know some stuff. 

And come the Fall, young Padawan, you’ll know all the ins and outs of laundry as well.