The Best $6 I've Ever Spent

It was this time last year that I wrote about my/Jack's struggles in learning to tie his shoes.  And I am sure you have been waiting with baited breath all during his first grade year to hear that Jack finally learned how to tie his shoes.  Well, it didn't happen in first grade.  And frankly, Jack was just fine with that.  Couldn't have cared less that he didn't know how to tie his shoes.  He was getting along splendidly, thankyouverymuch.

So summer rolls around and I'm beginning to sweat it out again.  Am I the only mother that has a child going into second grade that can't tie his shoelaces?!?!  Why do I care more than he does?  My dad even tried to work with Jack some this summer.  And I thought surely the man with the patience of Job could teach Jack to tie his shoes.  Dad did make a little bit of progress, but was hampered by the fact that JACK WASN'T THE LEAST BIT INTERESTED IN LEARNING!!!

So here we were on the first day of second grade and thank goodness for the triple knots that I tied, Jack's laces made it through the day.  I have confirmed with several other mothers that indeed, Jack may be the only child in second grade who hasn't mastered this skill.  I relay this information to him.  Is he concerned?  Not at all.  In fact, he informs me that I must be wrong because he is sure there are others who don't know how to tie their shoes.  And I was this close to saying "Show me who.  Name one person."  But I didn't because I was trying to be the adult here.  ha ha

Fast forward a week to Parents Open House at Will's preschool.  I was talking to a mother of one of Jack's friends at school.  She said that her son got 2 tickets taken away at school because he was caught twice walking around with untied shoelaces.  2 tickets!  Not because he didn't know how to tie his shoes but because he was too lazy to do it.  Second grade don't play, y'all.  They're serious about tied shoelaces.  Finally, finally, I knew I had my trump card.  Because if there is one characteristic about my first born that is certain, I mean take-it-to-the-bank certain, it's that he is a rule follower.  He likes to know the rules and follow the rules (well, at least at school he does).

And FINALLY Jack was motivated to learn.  To sweeten the deal, I promised that if he could learn to tie his shoes by the end of the week, I would buy him a Pokemon figure.

I found this site which gives 18 different ways to tie your shoelaces, so I figured if we struck out with one method then we would still have options.  I also watched a few You Tube videos which were good in giving me examples of how to phrase each step in the tying process.  In our attempts before, I found that it was hard for me to explain how to do something that is so second nature that I don't even think about how to do it anymore.

We started on a Saturday with a pair of Brent's Nikes.  Jack had one shoe and I had the other, and we sat side by side at the kitchen table. We worked on the starting knot, realizing that the lace that is in the front of the X is the one that goes behind and through the loop.  Once we had that down, we worked on the finishing knot.  Jack decided he wanted to learn the standard method, and not the bunny ears way that is common, too.  The language that I picked up from the online videos was first make a tree (loop) with one of the laces.  The other lace is the squirrel that runs around behind the tree and through the hole.  Then pull the two loops tight.  Jack got it relatively quickly and we only practiced for 20 minutes on the first day to keep our nerves from becoming frayed.  We were both able to remain calm!

Every morning before school, Jack tied his own shoes and we double knotted them for insurance.  I knew he had mastered the skill when Jack came home from school and said that his shoelaces had come untied during the day and he was able to tie them back by himself.  Happened again at soccer practice and Jack handled it by himself.  I knew we had crossed this hurtle.

So what have I learned?  That just like becoming potty trained, learning to zip up a winter coat, learning to buckle a seat belt, and learning to ride a bike, each skill is mastered at the child's own pace when the child decides he is ready.  I just need to throw my timeline out the window because it only leads to frustration for both of us.  When the child is truly ready, it only takes a few days to master a skill...any longer and he isn't ready.

And of course, a little bit of Pokemon bribery motivation can move mountains!

Goal 39 of 101 in 1001 completed!