Calling all my prayer warriors!

So this week we found out that despite our recent efforts, our daughter, Lily is still really struggling with reading. So much so, that despite having good grades in every other subject at school, her teachers want to hold her back next year - unless she can make HUGE, and I mean HUGE strides in the next two and half weeks.

I am really struggling with sharing this, because when your kid struggles in school it is so hard not to blame yourself.  Did we do enough to help her? Should we have started her in kinder earlier, should we have given her an extra year in preschool? Do people think I'm a bad mom because I didn't do certain things? Are people going to think my kids aren't smart? Blah, blah, blah, blah.

(Yeah, I know. I'm really good at making stuff about me. Working on that.)

The situation is what it is. Maybe it is my fault, maybe it isn't. My pride is flaring up big time as I think about my friends whose preschoolers and kindergartners read better than my first grader. When I say how many words a minute my kid reads, and people comment, "Wow, that is low!" my heart sinks, I feel bad for my kid, and I might, a teeny bit, want to throw a pie in their face, even though they are merely stating the obvious.

And if they are judging, who cares? We have two and a half weeks to perform a miracle. Because seriously that is really what's needed, as silly as it might sound, seeing as on the Grand Scale of Sucky Situations this probably wouldn't even make the Scale. But to us and to Lily, it's a big deal.

Can you pray with us for:

• Endurance. We have been reading with Lily for two hours every day. She reads an hour when she gets home from school and another 45 mins to an hour at night. So far she has had a great attitude about it, but I cannot imagine it will last. Two hours a day is a long time for an adult, let alone a kid! She will seriously need your prayers to keep it up! 
• Patience. For me. Because keeping a 7 year old motivated to do something she is not naturally good at and isn't "clicking" for her, takes some major patience on my part. Also, pray that Lily has patience with me, too, because I will likely at some point, yell at her because I am tired and cranky and we all know yelling is a totally awesome motivational tool. NOT.
• Teachers and Tutors. Lily has an outstanding team of teachers and tutors who are working hard to help her meet her goals. Yup, I said team. Her classroom teacher, reading teacher, after school reading tutor and volunteer moms at the school are all working to help my girl in addition to Aaron and me, Tyler and even, little Charlotte, who is happily loving all the stories now being read to her. It's a reading boot camp around here, I tell ya!
• Peace. The odds are not "ever in our favor" for this, so we would definitely covet your prayers for peace for whatever happens, because not meeting the goal sets in motion a bunch of stuff we aren't excited about having to do, like you know, switching schools or actually holding her back next year.
• Encouragement. Oh my word, this is one heck of a discouraging situation, with lots of people offering advice and advice and more advice, but what we need is really encouragement. We have a plan, we are working towards her goals, so please offer encouragement first advice second (if at all). Take a second to comment on this post to Lily with a note to keep her going! It will count as reading practice, after all!!

On Monday we told Lily that we would do something spectacular if she was able to reach her goals and what did that darling girl say she wanted? "Mommy, I want to make the biggest ice cream sundae ever with 60 flavors and invite all our friends and family." and she proceeded to list off all her friends and family and classmates she wanted to come to the party.

So, there you have it, our big, huge prayer need with the promise of an epic ice cream party if we can all make this happen!