Thank You Notes

This afternoon, full of virtuous feeling, I set the children to work on thank you notes. Our newest reader, Cornflower, required much spelling of words. She was still working on her cards when Triss and I moved to the computer to do a Plutarch lesson. As we read and discussed, Cornflower continued asking words: 'gave,' 'pajamas,' etc. Triss and I finished the lesson and I idly clicked on email. Cornflower asked, "Mom, how do you spell 'knee'?"

"K-n-e-e," I said absently as I read over an email about a stamping class.

"K?" she asked uncertainly.

"Mmm-hmm. Isn't that weird?"

"Yeah."

There was silence for a few seconds. I thought about explaining the relationship 'k' has with 'n' but decided against it. She is still in three letter short vowel words in her phonics book, and our English language is weird. (It never occurred to me to think how weird it was that she wanted to write the word 'knee' in a thank you note.)

Then she said, "But I spelled it...hmm... k-n..."

Finally, she was finished. As I looked at the card, I realized at once the absurdity of the word 'knee' in a thank you note-- and immediately understood her request.

She was thanking her aunt for a gift of 'mo-knee.'