It's hit the fan now!

[Cowgirl]

Single parent and it took that darn long for the school to notify me. How was I to know until they told me? So sure, keep giving your kid the excuse to not attend school, and just what does he/she do while goofing off? Good lesson on how to beat the system Mom.

Didn't you ever check his homework? Did you even notice he didn't have any homework? I find it rather humorous that you came on here saying parents who let their kids skip now and then are not doing their job, and yet your son got away with skipping 39 days in a row and you didn't even know about it.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

Didn't you ever check his homework? Did you even notice he didn't have any homework? I find it rather humorous that you came on here saying parents who let their kids skip now and then are not doing their job, and yet your son got away with skipping 39 days in a row and you didn't even know about it.

 

[oldman]

Didn't you ever check his homework? Did you even notice he didn't have any homework? I find it rather humorous that you came on here saying parents who let their kids skip now and then are not doing their job, and yet your son got away with skipping 39 days in a row and you didn't even know about it.

I am not making excuses for being a single parent and raising two teenagers. I thought it very odd that I wasn't notifiied that kid hadn't attended for that long. This was in the 80's so maybe things were different then. What could I have done differently? I made the choice to drop him off at the school at 5:30 in the morning on my way to work. He couldn't just wander off from there and got to know the janitors so it sort of worked out. I wasn't happy about any of this but it sure taught me a lesson in life. I never judge anyone until I can place myself in their shoes. If you want to call me a bad parent you're certainly entitled but despite all both sons have turned out to be good, honest citizens of this world.

 

[Pandora]

both sons have turned out to be good, honest citizens of this world.

And right there is all that matters.

 

[oldman]

Andy you gotta get a life. You are one sick SOB with nothing else to do in life other than post stupid comments/articles on a website. I hope some day you grow up.

 

[oldman]

And right there is all that matters.

Yes it is. I've gotta admit I'm biased because I'm from a different generation but darned if we didn't raised a good crop of the future.

 

[AndyMarquisLIVE]

I'm the one who needs to grow up?

 

[oldman]

I'm the one who needs to grow up?

Sorry Andy but don't know any other way to say it, Yes!

 

[Kain99]

This is an awesome exhibit of sociolgy! WE have those who defend, those who deny and those who haven't a clue! This is da bomb!

 

[toppick08]

Andy you gotta get a life. You are one sick SOB with nothing else to do in life other than post stupid comments/articles on a website. I hope some day you grow up.

I'm tryin' too.


:shrug:

 

[Cowgirl]

I am not making excuses for being a single parent and raising two teenagers. I thought it very odd that I wasn't notifiied that kid hadn't attended for that long. This was in the 80's so maybe things were different then. What could I have done differently? I made the choice to drop him off at the school at 5:30 in the morning on my way to work. He couldn't just wander off from there and got to know the janitors so it sort of worked out. I wasn't happy about any of this but it sure taught me a lesson in life. I never judge anyone until I can place myself in their shoes. If you want to call me a bad parent you're certainly entitled but despite all both sons have turned out to be good, honest citizens of this world.

I'm not trying to say you were a bad parent. Yes, I do think it was odd that the school didn't notify you, but in my opinion, you should have known something was fishy. :shrug: My parents asked me about school every day. They asked to see homework and tests.

I'm glad your kids turned out well. Don't you think it's possible that if your child could miss 39 days of school and turn out well, surely these kids who miss 1 or two can also turn out well? I've already read several posts by parents who have honor roll kids who are allowed to miss a day now and then.

 

[softballgrl]

Skipping school

I haven't read all of the thread, but....

I did try and skip school once. I dated a guy from another school/county and I was in the journalism class so I had a hall pass or leave pass for any sporting event (I was the sports editor) so...I thought I'd take it apon myself to leave one day and travel to a basketball game at my boyfriends school. Mom could read right thru this one....man, she slapped me silly when I FINALLY got home, over an hour late and my boyfriend dropped me off.
man, are we stuuuupid when we're young.

I do think she needs to have some regard for the rules in her home, but military school may be over the top ...unless she has issues in other areas, but if he's just frustrated and blowing steam, he should rethink that. Guidance with Grace (love) is always the best way I think. but...some kids do push you way beyond the grace part. depends on the personality.

It only took one could slap for me!

 

[Christy]

Single parent and it took that darn long for the school to notify me. How was I to know until they told me? So sure, keep giving your kid the excuse to not attend school, and just what does he/she do while goofing off? Good lesson on how to beat the system Mom.

Fight the powa!

I have two kids who are polar opposites of each other, so when folks claim that it is all about "consistent parenting" I have to laugh.

My son would prefer to do anything other than school, so he requires a more heavy handed approach. Someone always leaning on him to do his school work.

My daughter is a little brainiac who likes to learn anything and everything on her own. She has never not been on the honor roll. She can get through her school work with her eyes closed.

I'd say both actually learn more outside of school than they do in school though. I'm not a huge fan of the public school system. I think it is highly over rated when it comes to the end all be all of "education". I think more parents should take their kids out of school as often as possible and run them down to DC, Baltimore, Gettysburg, Williamsburg, hell, even St. Mary's City. They get a lot more out of that than they do sitting in a group doing "word chunks" in a classroom.

 

[mommarock]

Sure it is as long as it is not a routine occurance. Boy and I both played hookey a few weeks ago. He had 3 missed days all year and we needed a "mental health day"

That's exactly what I call those days! I definitly think stepdad overreacted. You can be a good parent and still let them have a sense that they have a little control. Kids can learn alot through experience. I would rather be aware of the action so I could monitor the consequence and make sure they learn from it. That way I'm not always the b*$%h either and they learn that they don't always know everything! "You want to skip school, ok fine. You have to make up all of the work you missed in those AP classes. If the grade on the report card changes because of missed work, there may be h#$l to pay so just remember that and have a great day!"

 

[backagain39]

IMO, If you enforce total control over your children and don't allow some exceptions to rules then when they get *out from under your thumb*, all heck lets loose. I have seen it time and time again. Rules can be made to be flexible. Now with bad moral and character traits, lying, stealing, etc. there should not be any tolerance, but that is another subject.

 

[Bann]

One time I brought home a D on an interim. That was the last time.

I bungeed that bad boy back up to a high-B (91%) in 2 weeks to protect my ass.

Oh yeah, it's harder to get A's and B's in Florida than it is up here because an 83% is a C, 69% is an F, an 92% is a B.

Where in FL? And how long ago? When I was in northern FL (which was 3 years ago) they changed their grading system to: 90-100% = A, 80-90%= B, etc. That was probably in 2001 or 2002, I can't recall now. Anyway, the reason given was that the students in our county would have the same "chance" as other students in the majority of the state in competing (grade-wise) for scholarships & getting into colleges, etc.

I disagreed with changing it, but :shrug: the reason did make sense. The only thing I could do was explain to mine that I didn't consider 80% a "real" B. I'm such a mean mom I use the "other" grading system when I look at their grades to this day. I know what they are capable of, so I hold them accountable to what they are capable of doing.