This is another good thread. Re: reading, DS6 recently went through a slack phase in fiction (he always reads non-fiction) and hid a book when I tried to give him assignments in it. So I backed off, and now we find him up in his room reading spontaneously. I think it's very difficult to find the right balance of nudging them a ways out of their comfort zone, and letting them self-direct.
Related, I'm working with DS on math now, more because I think he needs how to learn with another person, than because he needs to learn math (math is a favorite non-fiction reading topic). Again, it's very hard to find the line that divides pushing him just a little to help him realize what he can do, and hothousing him.
Re: rewards, I wrestle with this a lot, as I don't believe in them fundamentally, but once in a while they are such an easy short cut.
