I do think I will push her with my own homework for 10 minutes each day. At least some sort of brain teaser just to remind her she can use her brain. She does tend to shut down and then believe her lowest function is her best function as she spirals down.
I think that for females, it is particularly easy to 'forget' that one can function. I think that there is still 'enough' sexism in the air that one can't help absorbing that we parents have to be particularly careful of females 'getting used to' being underchallenged. Also, as one spend more time inside their 'readiness level zone' then they become calmer and more flexible. If a child spends too much of their learning time chronically underchallenged, then the readiness level zone shrinks and sometimes becomes a negative space - you know, the kids who are bored by everything easy, and quit at the first sign of anything difficult. Good for you for committing yourself to 10 minutes of 'mom-homework.' Yippee!
BTW, I HATE, HATE, HATE competition. It's something I have struggled to accept in dd.
Me too! I think it's an ENTP thing,but I totally had to learn from DS to appreciate competition. I not only disliked it, I didn't understand the appeal of it. Some writers, such as Sylvia Rimm love it. I'm happy that my DS13 is reading 'The Fountainhead' now, because (I snuck a peek at his book report) it is teaching him to be less concerned about what other people think and more willing to follow his own morals. Yippee!
Grinity
