Marshall Says the Title Is “Enter Title Here”

Dear Kids,

Here are a few stories about you.

One day Livia came dancing into my office singing one of her favorite Taylor Swift songs. She sang, “Shake it on, Shake it on!” I said, “Sweetie, I think it’s supposed to be ‘Shake it off.'” So she tried singing it that way but stopped almost immediately. “That doesn’t make any sense,” she announced. “My way is more sensible!” Then she left, singing “Shake it on!” as she went. A few days later, after hearing the song again, she said to me, “You were right, Mommy. It is ‘Shake It Off.'” I replied, “That’s OK. I really liked your way, too.”

Marshall came over and sat on my lap as I was writing the previous paragraph of this post. He looked at my computer screen and asked why there was a field with the words “Enter Title Here.” I explained that the title of the post was supposed to go there, then I typed in the words “Marshall Says the Title Is” and asked him what we should call the post. He laughed and said, “Enter Title Here!” That’s how the title of this post came to be.

Obviously Marshall can read very well now. This means that it’s much harder to keep secrets from him. He can read names of food on packages, for example. And if we try to S-P-E-L-L out a word in speech, he inevitably figures it out. We miss that parenting trick, but we are also thrilled with his progress.

Marshall’s math abilities are pretty impressive, too. On the way to the store the other day, he asked me to quiz him in math to keep him busy. So as we drove along, I gave him math problems involving 2-digit numbers (27+35, for example). He solved them in his head, and he got them all correct. It’s testament to how well the school’s math program works in spite of how poorly some of the materials are written.

Livia would be disappointed if I did not mention her here, because she also wanted to be quizzed in math. And she, though she has had no math training more rigorous than watching PBS shows like “Curious George” and “Peg + Cat,” can easily add single-digit numbers and multiples of ten. She is going to take kindergarten by storm next year.

Marshall continued to sit in my lap as I was typing parts of this post. The TV was on in the background. He could hear the “Arthur” theme song, and he warned me that he was going to leave as soon as the story started. I held him tight and told him I would never let him go. He laughed and squirmed and, as he finally struggled free, he said, “I control me!”

All of this goes to show that both of you are becoming more educated and more independent with each passing day, and I’m proud of you.

Love,

Mom