Restriction.

That's the word around here. Restriction. And my girl.. she is on restriction.. from pretty much everything. Why, you may ask? Well, my very smart, very capable girl brought home a stack of test papers on Wednesday full of Cs, Ds, and one F. I was in total shock! If this had been her very best, I would have been okay with the results, but I know it's not (especially on the open-book test - Seriously?! a D!!). She did have a 100 on one test and she thought that the one great grade would be enough to override the very nasty ones. Yeeeah... not so much! So, she is on restriction. There will be no TV, movies, DS games, friends over, going to friends' houses... and we cleaned out her room, so very little toys. Pretty much for the next... well.. indefinitely.. she can just read and study. And that's all.

I have to say she is taking it pretty well! She knows that she did not do her best, but lacks the maturity to study more on her own (totally normal for her age, I know!). So, I helped her! ;)

Today, she was so excited because we had really been studying for her Alabama History test and she made a 100 on it! AND on her Reading story of the week computer testing portion, she made a 96. I am SO PROUD!! I feel like I had a real hearty parenting 'moment' this week. I really feel like I helped her to realize that she has the potential to do anything. To bring a Reading grade from a C to an A. ... or maybe even more than that. Maybe through the next few weeks, with all the extra study time she will have, she will realize that she can do far, far more than bring up her reading grade. And she may never thank me for this discipline - and I don't ever want her to! I don't even want her to remember it. My hope is that her potential and her drive to be her very best and to be proud of herself is so deeply instilled in her being that she never even remembers that at one time she lacked faith in herself. I don't want to to remember that at one time she didn't care about her future or the consequences of her actions. I only hope that she looks toward her future and squints... 'cause she needs some shades!! {now, please excuse this super proud Mama while I lay out her girl's awesome white-rimmed sun shades! ;) }