Work first or Play first?

All work no play makes Jack a dull boy or All play no work makes Jack a dull boy! Remember this? Im not sure which one is the correct one but for the moment, take your pick! As a student, I prefer the former and as a parent or teacher, I guess I’d cite the latter more! As your child grows up, besides the routine activities that need follow-up, another will be added to the list – schoolwork or homework! Believe me, that’s a whole new ball game! If possible I’d want to postpone the same indefinitely! But life is not like TV that allows you skip or swap channels! So in between Abhay’s multiple activities in the evening, I have to somehow make sure he does his school work. The order of what comes first is always a bone of contention between the two of us, with Abhay choosing play and I opting for work first! Years ago, when I saw my aunt expecting her son to first finish his homework before play, I vowed never to do that to my son! Now here I am imposing that same rule! I kind of see her point with children being most attentive before they tire themselves. With parenting, you really have to suffer through the experience to understand. Feel it to believe it!!

Today I read or rather helped Abhay to read “Truck Buddies” by Melinda Melton Crow that not only conveys the message but also doubles up as a reading exercise for your early readers. At Level 1 in Stone Arch readers series, this book contains easy vocabulary with simple sentences and repetition of words that motivates your rookie reader to keep on reading. Dump Truck wants to play with his buddies Green Truck and Blue Truck who are busy at work. Dump truck is visibly upset that his friends choose work over play instead. Seeing their sad friend, Green Truck and Blue Truck offer to play with Dump Truck so long as he helps them finish work first. So Dump Truck joins in and they all complete their work in no time and its soon time for play! Notwithstanding the book I read, I honestly feel that ‘work first and play later’ is a mantra we all live by as adults and I don’t see the hurry in imposing the same on a four year old! Anyway, I still think my aunt was wrong!:-)