Boy Genius

The animals come straight for me. Anton leads the pack.

It is autumn and Sonnet lays down the law : given secondary school entrance exams, homework and exam-practice take precedence over television, Harry Potter, ManU, iPad , Alex Rider, cooking, sports and friends and play dates. Even Rusty gets the back seat. The Shakespeares absolved of household duties until January - the only news that gets a a smile from Madeleine, otherwise slouched in her chair.  Bedtime : 2030H and lights-out 2100H. No exemptions. The kids, who began the semester less focused than usual - maybe due to the long-vacation or an unusually warm Indian summer - have silently craved structure and now, Dear God, they have it.

Sonnet, in her gentle way, gets the kids to commit to her work schedule ( vs. my style : grind until they take no more). We are a focused little beaver unit until January and it feels that way, too.