Toby's First Homework Assignment

Toby was sent home the other night with his first ever homework assignment. 

Drumroll, please….he had to count as high as he could count.

I figured this activity would be an easy one and decided to engage him in it this afternoon as we drove home from school.

It took about 20 minutes, but all on his own, he made it to 127.  Yes, that’s right, ONE HUNDRED AND TWENTY SEVEN.  All in a row.

Toby approached the task with a very serious, slow and methodical, over-enunciated determination.

It was, quite possibly, the boringest undertaking motherhood has ever presented me with.

When he hit 43 he dropped one of his raisins and I thought the challenge was over.  Turns out it was only a brief 10 second reprieve before he announced that he was going to go back to 40 and repeat 40 through 43 to be sure that he was still on the right track.

When he got to 75 a strangely parked car appeared out the window.  Again, a glimmer of hope came to mind, but still the monotonous count went on right where it left off after we had fully explored WHY this car was parked sideways halfway up Pretty River Parkway.

At last he reached 99 and took a great pause before asking, “What comes after 99 mom, TEN?”

“No!” I encouraged eagerly, “Ninety Nine is the last number before….ONE HUNDRED!  You did it!  You counted to ONE HUNDRED!”  

But what came next?

You got it…

“One hundred…and ONE…”

Finally he reached 126 and rather abruptly announced that he couldn’t count any higher because his voice was tired.

THANK GOD.

“Good, job, Toby!” I said, “Tonight when we get home we can tell Daddy and write in your school agenda that you can count to One hundred and Twenty Six.”

My concluding remarks were initially met with silence before a quiet but still determined whisper came from the back of the car,

“One hundred and twenty seven…”