In Which The Kids Show Zero Flexibility

During this whole COVID-19 pandemic, the girls have been doing "remote learning," which basically means a watered-down version of online school.  Madeleine's school isn't even issuing report cards for this term, and Julia's school is simply assigning Complete or Incomplete for grades. 

Should be pretty easy to do the bare minimum and still pass their current grade, right?

Helpfully, my children are among the most rigid imaginable when it comes to routines and following rules.  And I say this as someone who works with 3-year-olds -- an age at which children tend to be almost obstinately attached to routines.

I am an overachiever myself, so I totally get my kids' drive to give the full 100%, despite the option to go less than full throttle.  However, I was always a little better at the art of fudging things than my kids are.

For example, when I was a senior in High School, our class rank was established after the first semester of our senior year.  When the second semester started in January, I was ranked 2nd in my graduating class, and nothing was going to change that.  Hence, I relaxed just a LITTLE in terms of my efforts at homework.  Such a relaxation was noted by some teachers, but I still didn't have anything lower than an A- on my report card.  My math teacher, in fact, commented "Capable of better work" next to my report card grade of a 92.  It was true.  I was doing the bare minimum in trig to get a grade in the A-minus to A range.

Not that I want my kids slacking, but I certainly think they could afford to slack or fudge data in certain areas.  Like, um, P.E??  Both kids are running 3-5 miles daily and often also doing dryland swim workouts.  So if they don't complete the exact P.E. assignment I think it's really okay.

Problem is, they think it's NOT okay.

Today I returned from a 10-mile run, moderately dehydrated, in need of fluids and stretching before taking a quick shower and hopping on a scheduled Zoom call with our financial lawyer.

MADELEINE: (wandering into the kitchen as I was filling up a glass with ice) Mommy?  I need a partner for something.
ME: Okay.  What is it?
MADELEINE: My P.E. exercise.
ME: Okay.  I really need to get hydrated right now.  Can you ask someone else?
MADELEINE: (tiptoeing to Julia's room, opening the door a crack, then closing it.)
ME: Is Julia free?
MADELEINE: She's on a thingy.
ME: On a Zoom?  What about Daddy?
MADELEINE: He's on a call.
ME: Okay. Well, I can't do it right now, but I can help you after I have water and stretch and shower.
MADELEINE: (starting to LOSE. HER. COOL.) But I *have* to do P.E. right NOW because I have a Zoom at 11 and if I don't do it RIGHT NOW then I WON'T HAVE ENOUGH TIME TO DO IT AND-
ME: Go set it up and I'll do it with you.

Her P.E. exercise was badminton.  She plays badminton on her own for HOURS every day in the back yard.  Could she have just played badminton later instead of right then?  Or just "said" she played it, since she plays regularly anyway?  This is a no-grade semester, after all. 

Nope.  She couldn't.  We had to bat the birdie around while I stretched and missed most of my shots instead.

Then comes the other kid.  Julia already went for a morning run, as she does nearly every day.

JULIA: I don't FEEL like doing a workout, but I already said that for P.E. I would do a FULL-BODY workout.
ME: Can't you just use your run for that?
JULIA: No, because I already SAID I was gonna do a full-body DRYLAND workout.
ME: ???

I think it's okay to say you did a full-body workout -- even if you didn't! -- for this Complete/Incomplete PE grade.  It's not like she doesn't work out every single day anyway.

I'm so proud of them for keeping up their work ethic during this completely dystopian time that we're in.  But I do think they could - once in awhile - take their "capable of better work" 92 and be a lot less stressed out in an already VERY stressful time in life!