Got to share 'em!

The Kern family has two "got to share them" moments!

First there is Karly and her calculating mind. With a birthday party for a close friend just moments away, Karly deemed it necessary to let me know that her pal told her that the family has the flu. The key factor here is that the party is at the family home where these two family members will be. Karly said, "it just seemed right to tell us". How fabulous is that--I've got a daughter that seeks to be honest, even if it is the last minute. Right here I am impressed. But it gets better. Karly is soon in tears, unsure if attending is a good idea. Kent and I have decided she can--but she is not herself convinced she SHOULD. Why? What kid passes up a party? Our Karly--she doesn't want to miss school. She doesn't want the flu and she can't even think about missing her 3rd grade Solar System play practice. Tryouts are coming soon! All of the sudden, she's thinking so grown up. She's weighing pros and cons and seriously considering the costs. Karly is also so worried about her special friend and how disappointed she might be if Karly doesn't show.

We were very impressed with her internal debate--where her two passion clashed--people and learning! She did decide to go after guzzling a round of Airborne (which she didn't care for) and vowing to wash her hands as much as possible. So far no flu for now! I do think we're at a crossroad with her--I think her mind moves much faster than Kent and I put together!

Kyle's story begins over a dinner discussion about reading. It's no secret that he's not exactly a book lover (maybe the apple didn't fall far from the tree--neither Kent nor I read for pleasure), and we were trying to encourage Kyle to do some more "real" book reading--not the sports page, or his Pokemon guide. Karly, thinking she'd help, told Kyle that when he gets to third grade he has to read at least one book a week and take a test on it. Then it happened. Kyle didn't skip a beat and said with sincerity, "I think then that I'm going to flunk 3rd grade". Absolutely just a matter of fact to him.

Ha! I didn't know he knew the word flunk. He also hasn't received anything but the highest possible marks on a report card yet, but just the idea that he "had" to read a book each week has him convinced. We are still giggling about it!