1999

After choir today I was taking Grace, the other blind singer, home with my daughter.  We take it in turns to bring each other's children home each week.   As we were getting in the car, Grace asked, "what is 1999?" I thought it was a riddle or a trick question so I guessed, "one less than two thousand?"  She said that they were playing their colors game.   Colors game?

The two blind girls were comparing notes as to what colors things looked like in their heads.  I sat in the front, driving, and listening to them describe numbers not in terms of red, blue, purple or yellow, but "patchwork green with a hint of light blue" or "neon yellow with streaks of dark green around the edges."   Their mental pictures of the numbers were very specific. 

They didn't match on most things but were always happy when they were close.  They got into letters and shapes and what colors they pictured when those forms appeared in the head.   I wanted to jump in, but any color associations I had paled in c.omparison to their vivid imaginations. 

The Tiny Girl Chronicles:  My daughter is petrified of not getting her homework done.  Her teacher is kindly, but apparently, it is not okay to have unfinished homework.  I needed to go over new chorus materials on the way home but she begged me to please let her read.   We're going to have a conference with her teacher.  I completely support the expectation of homework completion, but I do think she needs to know how scared my daughter is.  It seemed rather unhealthy.   My daughter is so afraid of being called out that even extracurricular activities are no excuse for being delayed for a day with reading. 

The Big Boy Update:  My son was to have no screens today, so when I got in and saw him on his iPad I didn't say anything but I was not happy.  I called my husband and found out the LEGO he was doing had no paper instructions so he was using it only so he could work on the model.  Okay, I can understand that exception.