And that's OK with me for now, because I just spent an afternoon trying for the second time to teach him to ice skate. Once again, I ranked somewhere slightly above utter failure in my efforts. Maybe by then I will have discovered the secret source of fatherly wisdom that will give me just the right words to say to teach him how to skate with confidence. Or maybe we can help him make friends with kids who want to have birthday parties at the zoo. Compared to all the stuff I get to teach them, I don't think bike riding and ice skating are as big a deal.
Potty training comes to mind.
While Mark helps with these tools of civilization, most of the burden falls on me because I am with the boys more. It would probably be more productive to record our lines on a tape recorder and turn it on throughout the day. I'm not above a little brainwashing if it will do the trick. Making rude noises and pretending to spit are just some of the joys of having almost-second graders in the house. The most difficult thing to teach, and the most aggravating, is how to use the potty correctly.