Bunny Ears

The year was 1985. I was in Kindergarten. I was bossy. I was busy. I informed my mom after the first day of school that she would never style my hair again (and she has not). I was capable of tying my own shoes. I vividly recall my older cousin, Cheryl, teaching me the task. We were outside in her back yard. She was one year older than me. There were no bunny ears involved. The day I learned to tie my shoes the heavens parted and shed light down on me. Please tell me you experienced the same thing! If my memory serves me correctly, it was a requirement to tie your own shoes before moving on to first grade. Maybe not. I do know that back then learning to tie your shoes was...well, a BIG deal!

Fast forward to May 2010. My oldest son, Parker, has been promoted to first grade. He was capable of counting coins. He could tell time (for the most part). He utilized the basic skills to operate a computer. He had begun to learn how to read. He had learned how to skip count and read graphs. He could not tie his shoes. Huh? I thought it was a requirement! Seriously, for the better part of last school year I expected to read on Parker's Homework Sheet, "Please practice with your child tying his/her shoes." Funny, I never found those words. Anywhere. Times...they are a changing. Thankfully, Parker found a sweet girl, Maggie, to tie his shoes last year when they came undone. Parker was not alone. From what I understand, Maggie tied a lot of shoes. She should have charged the kiddos a quarter per pair;)

Eric and I fully intended to teach Parker how to tie his shoes over the summer. T-Ball games, boat rides, trips to the beach, endless bike rides, and a new baby derailed our plans. A few days into school this year, I attempted to teach Parker how to tie his shoes. I googled "How to teach shoe tying" (gotta love technology!). I found endless information and even discovered shoe tying is a skill many kids master between ages 5-7 (whew, Parker is 6). I opted to teach him the bunny ears method....a decision that was foolish on my behalf. I do not tie my shoes using that method. Hey, we both will learn! Needless to say, Parker was not grasping the process. A few days later, Eric sat down with Parker and taught him to tie his shoe. In minutes. No bunny ears. Way to go, Parker (and thank you, Eric)! Personally, I have one less pair of shoes to tie before heading out the door in the morning. Amen.