Episode 39-What we do, and do not expect from our kids at home.

[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Maggie. [00:00:01] Speaker B: And I'm Nicole. Welcome to the DAC Dyslexia and Coffee Podcast. We're so happy you could join us. We're both moms and dyslexia interventionists who want to talk about our students and children. What dyslexia is, how it affects our kids, strategies to help and topics related to other learning disabilities will also be covered in this podcast. Parents are not alone, and we want to give voice to the concerns and struggles we are all having. This is a safe place to learn more about how to help our children grow and exceed in school, in the world. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation. [00:00:35] Speaker A: Hi, everybody. We're going to start like we always do on DAC Dyslexia Coffee Podcast. We're going to start with the concept of the week. So the concept of the week is our opportunity as practitioners to kind of peel back the curtain a little bit and then let you guys into an intervention session. So we talk about things that we actually would be teaching in intervention. Today's concept of the week is the DGE generalization. This one generally comes a little bit later in instruction because there's some kind of foundational skills that have to come before it. So the generalization says that when we hear the J sound at the end of a word right after a short vowel, we need to use the trigraph D, G, E for spelling. Before we teach this, we have to first teach trigraph. Trigraph is when we have three letters that make one sound. And we also have to teach that soft G generalization, where actually when G, E our next together, usually it's going to make that sound J or the J sound. So this generalization has the same rule as digraph, CK and trigraph tch, and also the floss rule. So these all kind of have the same idea, but this one we trot out usually much later in instruction because there's just some things that we have to build up to before we're ready for the DGE Spelling. Some words are like fudge or judge. [00:02:23] Speaker B: I love fudge. [00:02:26] Speaker A: Everybody says that. They're like, ooh, fudge or badge. [00:02:36] Speaker B: So we are on our next episode. What do we do and do not expect of our kids at home? So with summer break only a few weeks away, we've been doing a lot of thinking of what we hold our children responsible for at home. [00:02:55] Speaker A: Yes. Yeah. During the school year, I find it so much more difficult to, like, add to my own plate, let alone what I'm putting on my children. So every Time I kind of give my children a new responsibility. Right. It seems like it's like, oh, good, it's their job now. But actually it still means that I have to model it. I have to teach, and I have to supervise that responsibility for a while before they're actually ready to actually do it independently. But in the summer, I find my kids really need some more structure because we're not in school, so we need some structure. And kind of increasing their responsibilities really kind of helps with that. It's like, okay, you've completed the next grade and now you're ready for some more things at home too. Congratulations, you are leveling up. And that is kind of how I frame it to them too. Like, here you go, you're leveling up. You have more that I'm going to expect of you. And I know you can do this next task. Right. Like always. My goal as a parent is to provide that structure for my kids that like, they need to retain that self reliance. And that can look really different for different kids. Right. What I consider independent for my 7 year old, very different than what I expected my 5 year old and very. [00:04:31] Speaker B: Different from my 14 year old who has an intellectual delay. [00:04:34] Speaker A: Exactly. [00:04:37] Speaker B: So this topic really relates to executive functioning, which are those skills that can be delayed in our students with dyslexia, adhd, anxiety, autism, all those different things can all be impacted. But executive functioning is really like those high level skills, right? [00:04:59] Speaker A: Yes. [00:04:59] Speaker B: Flexibility, being able to follow directions, being able to initiate a task, complete a task, not forget what you're doing in the middle of a task. You know, get distracted. So those are the. [00:05:13] Speaker A: I mean, the kids, right? The kids get distracted. [00:05:15] Speaker B: Yeah, sure. [00:05:16] Speaker A: Yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah, yeah. [00:05:17] Speaker B: Not us ever. No, no, no, no, no, no, no, no. You know, for everybody out there, those skills need to be taught, which is what you said with modeling, with explaining how to do it and then practicing and then letting them be independent. It's not going to be like, oh, well, I think you should just go start that laundry over there. And they're like, okay, okay. [00:05:45] Speaker A: Right. Or like, go clean your bedroom. [00:05:48] Speaker B: Okay, okay. [00:05:49] Speaker A: Clean your bedroom has like 30 steps. [00:05:53] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:05:54] Speaker A: And could mean two very different things. [00:05:57] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:05:58] Speaker A: To different kids. So how do we tackle that in our own homes? [00:06:04] Speaker B: So that's kind of. We need to teach that. [00:06:06] Speaker A: Exactly. So kind of, for the purposes of this episode, we thought it would be fun to kind of explore chores by age group. So the Child Development Institute published the ultimate age appropriate chores list for children and teens back in 2022. Okay, so I thought, okay, let's see it. Let's see what they. What they think. So we are going to kind of look at their list and then just share what we each do with our own children based on their needs. And this is kind of fun because Nicole and I have five kids between the two of us. [00:06:49] Speaker B: Correct. [00:06:50] Speaker A: And they're all at really different levels developmentally and just kind of what they can all handle. So I thought we were kind of a good group of moms to kind of bounce these things back and forth and see what could we maybe add to our kids plate and what we think they're just not ready for. [00:07:11] Speaker B: Correct. [00:07:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:14] Speaker B: Toddlers age 2 to 3 put away their toys. Okay. Feel the dogs are catspool. No way. I don't know about your toddlers, but they would have put it in their mouth. [00:07:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:07:27] Speaker B: In my. [00:07:27] Speaker A: Me too. [00:07:28] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't know. Keep up their small. Own small spills. Maybe with help. [00:07:35] Speaker A: Yeah. And I think probably this is. So the Child Development Institute actually is kind of an offshoot of one of the ADD magazines. So I think they are. I think there is kind of implied here with this toddler group that like, with assistance. [00:07:52] Speaker B: Okay. [00:07:54] Speaker A: I'm. I'm taking it with a. Yeah. [00:07:57] Speaker B: Because some of these are pretty high level. Yes. [00:07:59] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:08:00] Speaker B: Dust or wipe the baseboards. [00:08:02] Speaker A: Nobody does that in my house. I'll just. [00:08:04] Speaker B: I was going to say do. I don't even do that in my house. So. Put their clothing in a hamper. That still doesn't really happen in our house. Help load the washer or dryer. Still doesn't happen in our house. Stack books or magazines on a shelf. I think kids like that in toddler age, actually. That's a fun. [00:08:23] Speaker A: I like that. Kind of put away their choice. You know, I still definitely had to be very structured about that at that age. Like, this is the time we're doing that. Fill up the cats or dog bowl. I mean, my kids would, at a pretty young age take like I would give them the cup close to where the dog pool is and they would do the dumping in, you know, like, it's like, okay. They would get that, you know, it wasn't fully their job, but they had the idea of like, this is our dog and so our family takes care of the dog. Definitely. If they spilled their own, like drink. If it was a small thing, especially on the table. Yep. That was their responsibility to clean it up. And I would usually have to go back later and actually spray it, you know, and actually clean it up. But just that idea Even when they're really little, two or three, that, like, we all live in this house. And taking care of the house and taking care of the family is a whole, whole family task, not just Mommy. Like, Mommy does not do all of the things. We all help. We have a laundry chute in our house, so that one, too, was actually. My kids loved doing that even when they were really little. [00:09:46] Speaker B: We had to hammer our shut because the things that would go down that chute. [00:09:51] Speaker A: Oh. Were not laundry. [00:09:53] Speaker B: They were not laundry ever. But there was a lot of food and a lot of toys and a lot of other things that you don't want to go down that chute. So ours is nailed up and we used to use baskets right now. So that's really funny. And that's the difference between our kids. [00:10:10] Speaker A: Different cavities. [00:10:11] Speaker B: Different. [00:10:11] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:10:12] Speaker B: Preschoolers, four to five year olds make their own bed. Yeah. Clear the dinner table. I think helping with that is good. [00:10:20] Speaker A: Yeah. Definitely. [00:10:21] Speaker B: Pulling weeds. I think they just like to do that. [00:10:23] Speaker A: Yep. [00:10:24] Speaker B: Use a handheld vacuum. Water flowers. I could definitely see putting away clean utensils. Wash dishes with supervision. Help set the table. Bring in, like, groceries. Sort laundry into lights and darks. That doesn't happen in my house. Match socks. Yeah. We have a sock monster and we. Sometimes we can't find the socks again. [00:10:51] Speaker A: Oh, yeah. [00:10:52] Speaker B: Dust with a cloth and care for animals. Water or food bowl. Now, I think about that age, my kids could do the water bowl. We still had some problems with, you know, Catherine and things going in her mouth. [00:11:05] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. I could really see that, like, probably not without, like, supervision. [00:11:11] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:11:12] Speaker A: I like. I like the idea. This is one we do in my house, is that putting away all the clean utensils, like, all the silverware that's clean. I'll just put it, the whole thing in a pile by the drawer and then they have to sort it and put it. [00:11:29] Speaker B: That's a good idea. [00:11:30] Speaker A: It goes. So I like that one. My kids do wash dishes with supervision. Obviously, that's not. The water can be hot. Right. Some things are breakable. [00:11:45] Speaker B: Exactly. Some things are sharp. [00:11:46] Speaker A: Some things are sharp. Yeah. You know, so with supervision. That was kind of a good, natural one for us, though, because my kids are in the kitchen with me. [00:11:54] Speaker B: Right. [00:11:54] Speaker A: I mean, literally, you already cooked together. So both of my kids, even as infants, were, like, strapped to me as I was cooking. So I think that was kind of a good, natural one for us. Nobody starts laundry in my house. That doesn't happen. [00:12:11] Speaker B: Yeah. I don't think. Do people actually do that anymore? [00:12:14] Speaker A: I think some people do. [00:12:16] Speaker B: Okay. I think maybe when you have a bunch of children, then it's just kind of for. [00:12:21] Speaker A: I just don't. Everything goes down the chute in my house, so I'm not gonna, like. Everything goes down the chute and then I have to sort it and then I have to wash it. Just no, thank you. [00:12:29] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:12:30] Speaker A: It just seems too much for me. I like the idea of the kids matching socks even though our socks go missing. I like the idea of, you know, folding laundry. And, like, now your kid has something they absolutely can do correct, you know, even if they can't match the pairs of socks, it's like, okay, these are daddy socks. These are, you know, Tommy's sock or whatever, you know. [00:12:53] Speaker B: Right. [00:12:54] Speaker A: Like the idea of even allowing them to sort. Even maybe by family member or, you know, maybe tops or bottoms at that age. [00:13:05] Speaker B: Right. [00:13:06] Speaker A: You know, I like that idea. It's not really. It's not really something I do, but I could see it. I could see that working. I like that idea. [00:13:18] Speaker B: So we go to primary school also. Elementary school. Six to nine. Although I would say more like 10. Right. I don't know. [00:13:27] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:13:27] Speaker B: Anyway, sweeping floors, help making their school lunches. Raking the yard. Clean their bedroom with minimal supervision. Oh, yeah, that doesn't happen in my house. [00:13:39] Speaker A: Yeah. Good luck. [00:13:40] Speaker B: It's still Mex supervision for me. Put away groceries. Load and unload the dishwasher. Vacuum, wipe down countertops or sink. Scrub tables after meal. Scrub the table after meals. Make snacks or breakfast. Yeah. Fold and put away laundry. Take the dog for a walk with supervision. Mop the floor, empty trash bins. Those are pretty. [00:14:09] Speaker A: I feel like this is a really good list. And I'm kind of sweeping through here going, all right, Some things on this list my kids already do. They do help make their lunches, which is pretty simple. They can both make their own sandwiches. That's not a problem for them. I usually do it because I like to do it in the morning. I'll be honest. I like. I like kind of having that. This is something I do for them. For you. [00:14:40] Speaker B: Yep. [00:14:41] Speaker A: But they put their own fruit and they put their own drink in. They put their own, like, bag of chips. We kind of have, like, categories of things. And they put what they would like in their lunch in after I've made them a sandwich. So they definitely do help with that. They definitely get their own breakfast in the morning because they. This is my, like, decide once breakfast is either cereal or, like, a baked item that I have made. And you can choose but they can get their own bowls and when they get up, they can pour their own cereal. And they've been doing that since they were really tiny. And if it spills on the floor, we have a dog. So I'm not that worried about it. Yep. [00:15:27] Speaker B: That's kind of what we think too. Yeah. I would say Carolyn and Catherine can pretty much get their own cereal now. We'll see. Is still a struggle. Some of it is. He does have a lot of, like that bilateral coordination. Yes. Issue. So I know some of it is kind of a learned thing of him thinking he can't do it, but now he can do it. But, you know, he can get all the supplies. He just doesn't like to pour because he usually has a issue. [00:16:00] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:01] Speaker B: But you know, we're working on that still. And the milk sometimes is too heavy for him to like, actually. [00:16:07] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:16:08] Speaker B: Tilt over. But. [00:16:09] Speaker A: Yeah, that's fair. [00:16:10] Speaker B: But yeah, I mean, we're. We're on the way finally. [00:16:14] Speaker A: Yeah, I definitely. Wiping down everything. Wiping down everything after dinner. That's. [00:16:21] Speaker B: That's a good one. [00:16:21] Speaker A: Yep. That's. That is their job. [00:16:25] Speaker B: They usually like to vacuum at this age. Sometimes. [00:16:28] Speaker A: Yeah, they like it. My kids do like to vacuum. We actually even bought a, like slightly smaller so that they could handle it a little bit better. My house is not that big, so it's not. It's not like that big of a deal for us to not have a huge, bulky vacuum. And that has really kind of helped our kids be more involved in that. It is everybody's job. [00:16:58] Speaker B: We don't let our kids take the dog for a walk, even with supervision. Usually we have the dogs. [00:17:04] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:05] Speaker B: Because we have a big dog. [00:17:06] Speaker A: We have a big dog who has a lot of energy. They come with us. [00:17:09] Speaker B: They come. Yeah. And sometimes they hold with us. But it's more the, you know, 124 lab pound lab. And three times their weight is not going to end well if he sees something he wants to go play with. [00:17:25] Speaker A: There is no universe. I barely even walk the dog. We go on family walks, but usually that's my husband's job because she's just a lot of energy. [00:17:33] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:17:34] Speaker A: My kids don't mop the floor. We haven't really gotten there. I will maybe let them use maybe the Swiffer. [00:17:42] Speaker B: Yeah, we use the Swiffer and they do sort of do it. Carolyn can do it independently, but Wilson and Catherine tend to think spraying the spray thing is the best thing ever. So we usually have a puddle. [00:17:57] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:17:57] Speaker B: So that's. That. That's Kind of where that. Yeah, you got to be there for that. [00:18:02] Speaker A: Not quite ready for that. And not. My kids aren't quite ready for that. Well, because it does make a fun laundry. I usually do all the folding because too they are able to put their own stuff away. And that. That's been pretty consistent in my house. Kind of as soon as they really could put things in. [00:18:23] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:18:24] Speaker A: Their own bins. That's been pretty consistent. But they have to do that. One that's not on here is like wiping the mirrors in the bathrooms. They are responsible for that. Especially in our big bathroom. Because my kids brush their teeth disgustingly and I refuse to do that. That is your job. I am the mom also. That makes in addition not only the mirror, but Aiden is responsible for wiping the outside of the toilet. [00:18:54] Speaker B: Because he's a boy. [00:18:56] Speaker A: He's a boy. We'll just leave it at that. That is his job. Because that is also one I refuse to do. I am not the one who left that disgusting mess, my friend. [00:19:10] Speaker B: And in our house, if the toothbrush ends up anywhere it shouldn't, I call that child that it belongs to and they need to throw it away and I'll get them a new one because it ends up in the strangest of places and it's so disgusting. [00:19:25] Speaker A: I don't understand. [00:19:26] Speaker B: I don't understand. [00:19:27] Speaker A: Don't understand what? [00:19:28] Speaker B: Why do you think that that's a good idea? I don't know. So should we move on to middle schoolers? [00:19:35] Speaker A: Middle schoolers 10 to 13. Yes. [00:19:38] Speaker B: Wash dishes without assistance. Wash the family car. Prepare simple meals with minimal help. [00:19:45] Speaker A: Yep. [00:19:46] Speaker B: Use the washer and dryer. Take trash bins outside, bring trash bins to the curb and babysit younger siblings when the parents are at home. [00:19:59] Speaker A: I think this seems like a really reasonable list. Right. And they point out too that it's like these are like the new things they're ready for. [00:20:06] Speaker B: Correct. [00:20:06] Speaker A: Like they're still doing the other stuff. Other stuff. Like. But these are some new things that they could be ready for. I don't quite have kids this age, but I can definitely recall what was expected of me. Right. Or kind of what I project the future. [00:20:27] Speaker B: Yes. [00:20:29] Speaker A: These all really seem very reasonable. [00:20:33] Speaker B: Yeah. I think Carolyn does a lot of this and she's in this age bracket. She's 12. The. I still supervise the washer and dryer a little bit just so that it doesn't get over filled because you know, everything should go in regardless if it's falling out of the door. [00:20:51] Speaker A: Well, and I think the washer and dryer, too. It's like. It really depends, I think, on your machine. [00:20:56] Speaker B: True. Because they can be really odd. Really. [00:21:00] Speaker A: Why is a washer and dryer so complicated? [00:21:02] Speaker B: I don't know. I need you to wash it, and. [00:21:06] Speaker A: Then I don't need you to do pretty things. I don't be. I don't. I have a pretty simple washer and dryer. Very much on purpose. Like, I did not want all the craziness, because. No, I don't. Nobody needs that. [00:21:20] Speaker B: But, yeah, she's been able to do all this other stuff pretty well without assistance, which I think we don't really wash our cars, but she does help wash the dogs, so I just interchange that. [00:21:32] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:21:33] Speaker B: At our house. [00:21:34] Speaker A: Yeah, definitely. I mean, we're definitely like the. My husband loves going to the car wash, so he's got like the, you know, unlimited monthly blah, blah, blah package. So, like, he. That. I think that will probably continue to be his task, but I think they could. [00:21:53] Speaker B: They could do it. Yeah. [00:21:55] Speaker A: Right. It's just kind of a matter of what we want to stack on them. I. I can't wait for the day that it's like the trash needs to go to the curb and it is your job to do it. You go. Thank you. [00:22:08] Speaker B: I would say, too, she's really good at, like, some of the stuff in the outside. Like, the outside. Her dad's been teaching her how to use the mower. It's a riding mower. Looks kind of fun when she's done. And he's like, whoa. But she's also, like, good at picking up sticks and doing some more of those lawn care things that, you know. [00:22:34] Speaker A: That aren't really kind of on this list. [00:22:36] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:22:37] Speaker A: Yeah. You know, and kind of that. I like that it says, you know, babysitting the younger siblings while parents are at home. Right. So it's that kind of. Okay, here's your responsibility. But I'm still here. [00:22:50] Speaker B: Yep. [00:22:51] Speaker A: I mean, that one can be really tricky depending on the sibling dynamics. [00:22:57] Speaker B: Yes. [00:22:58] Speaker A: That's not always appropriate, but to the extent that it is, I think it's great. [00:23:03] Speaker B: Yeah. Carolyn's going to do that today. Actually. My husband has to go out of town, so she's going to be left alone with the younger sibling, which it would. It's gonna be fine. He's not gonna do anything after school, but. [00:23:18] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:19] Speaker B: He just kind of gets a little bit impulsive. [00:23:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:22] Speaker B: So that's the thing. She needs to be aware. [00:23:24] Speaker A: And that's so much harder when it's a sibling. [00:23:27] Speaker B: Yeah. Like, when it's when she is with other kids. It's perfectly fine. [00:23:30] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:23:31] Speaker B: And she took the babysitting course which is also something that I mean as a parent I would recommend because it gave her CPR and it also gives her some emergency things. And with our daughter, sometimes another adult explaining those things to her. It went over so much better than me saying, you need to know this. [00:23:53] Speaker A: I think the babysitting course is great. So even if your kid is not interested in babysitting at all, I think it's so. It is great. [00:24:02] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:24:02] Speaker A: All of those reasons. And yeah, both of my kids will be taking the babysitting course even if they don't attend to babysit because. [00:24:10] Speaker B: Right. [00:24:11] Speaker A: Yeah. I don't have to have those conversations with. I mean I do. [00:24:14] Speaker B: They go over 911 and fire safety. Like they go through some things that at a higher level too of not just, you know, run out of the. You know what I mean? Have your plan. It's actually an actual. How do you actually implement the plan and how do you do this to do it? And they have people who are trained to give those talks. So that's why I like this age. [00:24:35] Speaker A: Group aren't that child's parent. [00:24:39] Speaker B: Exactly. [00:24:40] Speaker A: It is. [00:24:40] Speaker B: And so she took it a lot better from them. And then she was like do you think I'll ever need to use cpr? And I was like you may. She's like cuz that's really scary and those mannequins are really gross looking. And I'm like yep, they. They don't look like real people, do they? She's like nope. [00:24:58] Speaker A: Rescue Annie like that. Yep. No, no. [00:25:01] Speaker B: And they don't have legs anymore or arms. They just the trunk and the head. And you're like well. [00:25:07] Speaker A: And then like the using the AED too. It's like oh yeah. Oh, this is kind of serious. [00:25:12] Speaker B: Exactly. So but I mean all of our. Around here, all of our like municipalities have some sort of babysitting club class to take. So. And you can be. They start at a certain age and you can go up to. [00:25:28] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:25:29] Speaker B: At any time. [00:25:30] Speaker A: It is kind of mind blowing now knowing a lot of 11 and 12 year olds. I mean I was fully babysitting infant children. [00:25:38] Speaker B: Me Too. [00:25:39] Speaker A: At 11 and 12. [00:25:40] Speaker B: Me Too for sure. [00:25:42] Speaker A: And now I'm like whoa, whoa. [00:25:45] Speaker B: People trusted me with that. Huh? [00:25:47] Speaker A: That's crazy. That's. [00:25:50] Speaker B: I would. [00:25:51] Speaker A: I'm not so sure. I mean was a lot different too. There were not. The cell phone situation was not correct around and it was really. [00:26:04] Speaker B: And it was usually A neighbor that you knew. And I mean, it was just very different. [00:26:08] Speaker A: It was. It was different. It was as well. [00:26:13] Speaker B: All right, high schoolers, 14 and up. Clean out the fridge. [00:26:17] Speaker A: Hallelujah. I can't wait till they can do that. Hate doing that. [00:26:21] Speaker B: I don't know when they're going to be able to do that. Help deep clean the kitchen. Clean the bathrooms. Yeah. Clean the windows. Yeah. My kids do that. Watch younger siblings for short times. Y. Yep. Mow the lawn. We just talked about that. Care for pets, including taking them on walks. Again, that depends on your pet. Yeah, for sure. Like 124 pound dog. Probably not good with my 80 pound child. [00:26:50] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:26:50] Speaker B: You know, I just. Because if he sees something he wants to chase. [00:26:54] Speaker A: That's right. It's like, yeah, my dog, I don't even really like taking. Not by herself usually. [00:27:00] Speaker B: Yeah. Make more complex meals. Accomplish small shopping tasks. Iron clothes. Okay. I have to say, we never ironed, so that's not even in our. [00:27:10] Speaker A: Yep. [00:27:11] Speaker B: Resoed buttons. [00:27:12] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:27:13] Speaker B: She can do that. And help parents with small home and auto repairs. Yeah. I mean, I think these are pretty relative. [00:27:20] Speaker A: I think this is a great list. And I really love that, like, help parents with small home and auto repairs because. Yeah. You are in high school. [00:27:30] Speaker B: Yes. You need to learn these things. [00:27:32] Speaker A: You need to learn these things. And even that decision making of like, okay, this is something I think we can tackle at home. [00:27:37] Speaker B: Yep. [00:27:38] Speaker A: And we're going to try our own repair. Or this is something bigger that we need to call somebody else for. [00:27:46] Speaker B: Right. That's a good decision making. [00:27:48] Speaker A: That is such a good decision making skill. And I don't know that we are always explicit about teaching that to our kids. [00:27:54] Speaker B: Yeah, I would agree. [00:27:55] Speaker A: I mean, and I think, you know, even my own parents who are so, so good, like, I remember getting, you know, into college or kind of those early young, mid to late 20s and still kind of going like, should I do this myself? [00:28:12] Speaker B: Should I? Yes. [00:28:14] Speaker A: How do I start? Where do I even go? [00:28:17] Speaker B: Or you get into the middle of something, you're like, oh, I shouldn't have started this because now I'm in trouble. [00:28:26] Speaker A: Yeah. Like, but just that kind of. Okay. What do you. I remember being feeling really insecure that I really didn't have even a good understanding of. What are the things you call a plumber for? What is a plumber's job? Aside from just fixing the sick. Right. What else goes under that Lens. Lens. What is an electrician's job? What is their purview? What would I need these other Kinds of professionals for. [00:28:56] Speaker B: Yeah, that's a good point. [00:28:57] Speaker A: And then that. And then feeling like that I couldn't ask because people just would assume that I. I mean, that's my hang up. But I just kind of feel like something for me to sort of mentally know. My kids are not in high school yet, but I can tell you, as a former high school teacher. Oh my. The kids that would come to school and be like completely unprepared, you know. [00:29:25] Speaker B: Well, nice to be a university professor. And some of them didn't even know how to do their own laundry by the time. [00:29:31] Speaker A: Open a can of soup. [00:29:32] Speaker B: Yeah. And it's like, oh. [00:29:35] Speaker A: Oh my. That's scary. Make a sandwich. Can't. I mean it's like, whoa, whoa, whoa, whoa. I'm not saying anybody has to be a world class chef. [00:29:42] Speaker B: Correct. [00:29:43] Speaker A: But simple things minimally. Be able to feed oneself to sustain life without needing to call for takeout every time. Yeah. I mean, I think this is a really good list and I think it gives me some really good ideas for things I do want my kids to kind of be thinking through. [00:30:07] Speaker B: Yeah. [00:30:08] Speaker A: In the future. Awesome. [00:30:11] Speaker B: So Maggie, what's happening outside of dyslexia? [00:30:13] Speaker A: Yeah. So outside dyslexia kind of related to this sort of executive functioning and sort of why I was extra thinking about what chores my kids are ready for. Um, I will say the Gunther house is out of control right now. [00:30:29] Speaker B: It's May, though. So the end of the school year is like this every year. [00:30:33] Speaker A: Oh my God. I don't. That's. What. What's the term? [00:30:36] Speaker B: Maysember. It's a thing. It's a real thing. [00:30:39] Speaker A: It's a thing. And I'm feeling it. And I have had enough of this feeling. And this happens to me every once in a while where I am like, absolutely, I have had enough. We are going to have a come to Jesus conversation this weekend in the Gunther house. I have it all planned. I'll check back in, folks. But we are something I used to do even when my kids were really little is like a family meeting every week. So we kind of. I'd usually like make some pancakes on a Sunday and we do like a little like breakfast family meeting. And we would talk about what we have going on this week and check in with each other. And I am reinstituting Gunther family meetings with an agenda. So. [00:31:34] Speaker B: You'Re gonna add an agenda. [00:31:39] Speaker A: Because. So fun. No. I've mentioned this before, but yes, my 7 year old has a diagnosis and of ADHD. And so does my husband. So I am tired of doing the executive functioning for four human beings. And I would like some of that to be redistributed to other. [00:32:05] Speaker B: Good luck on that. [00:32:06] Speaker A: Family members. I will check back in, but I'm pretty serious about it. So that's what's going on. [00:32:12] Speaker B: Yeah. That happens in our hustle. [00:32:14] Speaker A: Yeah. Having a little ctg. What's going on with you? [00:32:22] Speaker B: So I guess right now we're trying to figure out what our summer is going to look at. Like, and we found a camp where a local shelter. You know, you go for the day and you help with the animals, taking care of them, learn how. How to groom them, I think. And then also learn, like, about, like, beyond just what's in there. [00:32:47] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:32:47] Speaker B: So our kids want another dog, which we already have two. [00:32:54] Speaker A: That is the last thing they're going to take back. [00:32:58] Speaker B: I know. So my goal is the girls are going to be in the dog section so that they can get their puppy. [00:33:05] Speaker A: Huh? Their fix. [00:33:07] Speaker B: They're fixed. [00:33:07] Speaker A: Oh, I like those for you. [00:33:08] Speaker B: Okay. And then Wilson can't go into there yet because he's too young, so he can go in the small animal one. [00:33:15] Speaker A: Okay. [00:33:15] Speaker B: So we're gonna do that for him. [00:33:17] Speaker A: Okay. [00:33:17] Speaker B: Because I mean, really, it's the same. It just depends on the animal that you get to play with. [00:33:22] Speaker A: Yeah. [00:33:22] Speaker B: But they get to be in the shelter, too. So all the animals in the shelter get played with. [00:33:25] Speaker A: Yes. [00:33:26] Speaker B: But I was just like, I don't think we could have another puppy because Carolyn wants one she can carry around. Catherine wants one that's curly haired. Wilson decided he wants one that's just his. I. I don't know. [00:33:41] Speaker A: Okay. [00:33:42] Speaker B: So they have, like, we have different. [00:33:44] Speaker A: Opinions about what this dog needs to be. [00:33:48] Speaker B: Yes. And they all want their own dog now. And I'm like, oh, gosh. Oh, goodness. So in our house, we're trying to avoid that by going to camp. [00:33:56] Speaker A: We will check back. I'm putting a little mental pin that we will check back in about both the family planning agenda and the. Whether or not the Boynton's getting us. [00:34:12] Speaker B: You know what will happen, though? We'll go to the shelter and I'll fall in love with one. Oh, my gosh. [00:34:18] Speaker A: I do not wish that upon you. I will come pet it, though. I love a puppy in somebody else's house very much. [00:34:28] Speaker B: Oh, man. [00:34:29] Speaker A: Same with a baby, right? Love a baby for somebody else. Oh, my gosh. Well, thank you, everybody, for listening. Please follow us on social media and reach out if you have any questions or would like us to discuss a topic. If you do like our show, be sure to follow us and give us a rating on your favorite podcast player. This is how we reach more listeners and get to help more families. So thank you, everybody. [00:34:54] Speaker B: Thank you.