You make the call

[citysherry]

In our house, the most dreaded punishment is No Screens. It’s a great blanket type punishment - if whatever you want to do/play involves a screen of any type (i.e., TV, computer, gameboy, cell phone, etc.) is forbidden.

 

[Larry Gude]

Now you're stuck...

Last week Boy bombs a math test. This week he bombs a spelling test. I have told him over and over football is a game, school is real life.

So I just gave him a good ass chewing and he is in his room. Tonight is a scrimmage game and Saturday is a real game.

...school is not real life. Unless he goes to college. Forever. He's gonna learn far more about life and himself on that football field than he is ever gonna learn in school.

Football is unforgiving; if you got beat on a play, you got beat. Not because of your color, or your parents or the other kid was the teachers pet or because you didn't understand the question. If you beat your man on a given play, the same applies.

School is about social skills which boy already has; please, thank, you, wait your turn, wear deodorant. After you shower.

Football is about sense of urgency and concentrating under fire and coming together to achieve a goal, right here, right now. It's also about self, facing adversity, getting back up, learning to take the hard knocks and do better next time.

School is...school.

I think it's fine to tell him he ain't playing if his grades suck; life lesson, you need to do what you need to do to get what you want. I think it is wrong to tell him school is real life and football is 'just' a game.

No boss or spouse or child is ever gonna give a rat's azz if he knows i before e except after c and all the rest of the mind numbing exceptions to the 'rule'. I think his boss, spouse and kids will always appreciate that he's ready to go when the ball is snapped.

 

[bresamil]

I coach baseball and if a parent tells me that little Johnny is not doing well in school I tell Mom and Dad to bring him, along with his school work to practice and I have him sit on the bench and do his school work while everyone else is out on the feild. This works wounders!!!

This is a very effective method of motivation. Our varsity basketball coach has used this as well as one of our soccer coachs.

 

[vraiblonde]

Sad, isn't it?

I used to read 5 novels a week until I discovered somd.com. and the internet.

What's the difference if you read the forums or read a book? I mean, if you only read biographies or non-fiction, that's one thing - you're reading for education. But, to me, reading the latest Stephanie Plum novel is no better than reading Chit Chat. Just a mindless diversion.

:shrug:

 

[Vince]

I coach baseball and if a parent tells me that little Johnny is not doing well in school I tell Mom and Dad to bring him, along with his school work to practice and I have him sit on the bench and do his school work while everyone else is out on the feild. This works wounders!!!

Great idea!!

 

[Chasey_Lane]

I do not think football should be a punishment for bad school work because I do not think one has anything to do with the other. I was always into cause/effect punishments.

And I always think you have to take away something that means a lot to them. For my daughter, that means her cell phone.

 

[Larry Gude]

The forums...

What's the difference if you read the forums or read a book? I mean, if you only read biographies or non-fiction, that's one thing - you're reading for education. But, to me, reading the latest Stephanie Plum novel is no better than reading Chit Chat. Just a mindless diversion.

:shrug:

...are more like short stories, varying subject matter, quick, to the point and move on and don't require a huge investment in time for a droning, endless slog that beats a subject to death, unless you're reading one of my posts.

 

[Cowgirl]

But, to me, reading the latest Stephanie Plum novel is no better than reading Chit Chat. Just a mindless diversion.

:shrug:

I love Stephanie Plum!!!!!
































But it is pretty mindless.

 

[Tina2001aniT]

...school is not real life. Unless he goes to college. Forever. He's gonna learn far more about life and himself on that football field than he is ever gonna learn in school.

Football is unforgiving; if you got beat on a play, you got beat. Not because of your color, or your parents or the other kid was the teachers pet or because you didn't understand the question. If you beat your man on a given play, the same applies.

School is about social skills which boy already has; please, thank, you, wait your turn, wear deodorant. After you shower.

Football is about sense of urgency and concentrating under fire and coming together to achieve a goal, right here, right now. It's also about self, facing adversity, getting back up, learning to take the hard knocks and do better next time.

School is...school.

I think it's fine to tell him he ain't playing if his grades suck; life lesson, you need to do what you need to do to get what you want. I think it is wrong to tell him school is real life and football is 'just' a game.

No boss or spouse or child is ever gonna give a rat's azz if he knows i before e except after c and all the rest of the mind numbing exceptions to the 'rule'. I think his boss, spouse and kids will always appreciate that he's ready to go when the ball is snapped.

Very interesting take on things. Excellent points.

 

[Pete]

And I always think you have to take away something that means a lot to them. For my daughter, that means her cell phone.

OMG how does she talk to BFF Jill?

 

[nachomama]

OMG how does she talk to BFF Jill?

She just texts her.

I'm a coach. I pull them if their grades are crap. They sit in the bleachers and do their homework. Their teammates know why they are sitting. Not only have they let themselves down, they let their team down. Our school publishes the cumulative GPA of each sport at our sport banquet. I don't want to be the team with the lowest GPA; in fact, we've been one of the highest. I'll take a kid with a higher gpa over an athlete with a poor one, and their gpa is part of their tryout score. The school will cut them if they don't have a 2.0 - I don't like anything less than a 2.5.

However, Larry made some very valid points.

 

[smilin]

Pay to Play

We have a rule in our house: "Pay to Play".
Boys need sports to clear their minds. They need to hit something - anything - other players, any type of ball, sticks it doesn't matter.
But, they also need to realize: that you need to do what you have to do, before you get to do what you want to do.
Football is like life, if you blow off practice, grades, respect should you get to play anyway? Of course not. Responsibility starts with them.
Sports should teach you about life. Winning is a hell of a lot nicer than losing.
Losing happens, as opposed to everything taught in school, not everybody is a winner. If you don't play, you will never know if you can or not.
Hold a hammer over his head - tell him you will treat him like a High School/College player and if his GPA isn't where you want it by mid term or whatever time frame then he will have benched himself.
My kids need to carry a 3.0 to play (damned if it didn't work too!).

Owning anything is much more satisfying than borrowing.

 

[cvizzy]

Do any children read for pleasure anymore? Is it all TV and video games?

I am proud to say my daughter loves to read and we do not own a video game or any type of system like that. On occassion maybe once every two weeks she may play an educational game on the computer. She loves to be outside and active. Makes it difficult for punishment don't have game to take away, but we are lucky there too she is good kid.