Apparently I'm glowing.
It's quite noticeable and people at the office have commented on it. There's rampant speculation as to whether there's a new man in my life and what it is that is causing me to be so incredibly happy this week.
I'll let you in on the secret and the reason ~ I haven't had a fight with my teenager since last Saturday.
Allow me to introduce to you Sophia Willis. She is the mother of an 11 year old son and she disciplined him for lying by spanking him five to seven times either with a belt or an electrical cord. Willis was brought up on charges of battery, convicted and sentenced to a year in jail. The Indiana Supreme Court reversed, saying that Willis has a right to discipline her son and that her actions were neither degrading nor disproportionate to the offense, and his bruises were neither "serious harm" nor permanent.
Yes, apparently there were bruises. Does that make it child abuse? Or do we just need to allow parents to discipline their own children in a manner they find appropriate?
Kindergarten is supposed to be one of the least stress-related times in a child's school life. Unfortunately for five-year-old Alex Barton, it will be remembered as one of the most.
This is by no means a new story. As many of you probably know, in April of this year, Wendy Portillo, a kindergarten teacher in Port St. Lucie Florida decided to punish Alex Barton for behavioral issues by having him stand in front of the class while his classmates systematically told him what they don't like about him (one called him "disgusting") then voted him out of the class "Survivor"-style by a 14-2 margin. The one friend Alex had made in the class was also forced to participate. What may be even worse is that Portillo apparently knew Alex Barton was undergoing testing for Asperger's Syndrome, a form of autism.
Pamela is pretty steamed. She discovered nearly $300 worth of phone calls on her recent bill and, worse yet, found out her son made them.
I'd be steamed too but not for the same reason as Pamela. She's mad at the 900 company (or the phone company. It's hard to tell) for not waiving the bill; I'd be upset at the culprit.
Perhaps it's not on the epic scale in Greek mythology of the gorgon Medusa versus the Kraken, but it's still quite the battle. From a spectator's perspective, it's fascinating to watch, but I know there are no winners.
I should charge admission and sell popcorn. Or put them in a cage and let them duel it out to the end. It's kiddo v. the math teacher.
Right now, I think he's winning.
I have this friend. She is a great mom to her two kids, a great wife to her dear husband, and a wonderful friend. In short, she rocks. But she's got just one problem. Her oldest , Zach, is a twelve-year-old boy. And to make matters worse, he's very smart. Not just a bright kid, mind you, but scarily smart. Sounds great, right? But in her own words, "What do you do when your child is smart enough to talk his way out of anything, but has absolutely no common sense?"
An experimental program reminiscent of old-style Catholic schools and military academies is currently underway in the Cheektowaga, N.Y. school district. Middle school students whose grade in any class falls below 65, or who show a lack of effort, are essentially grounded. You might recall a similar regimen implemented by Army drill instructor
turned principal, Joe Clark, who expelled dozens of students in a
single day, inspiring the movie "Lean on Me".
Since performance slumps are common in middle schools, there is a struggle to find the right balance between structure and independence for students at a transitional age. With increasing pressure to improve academic achievement, some schools are taking the Joe Clark approach of clamping down on the natural disorder of early adolescence.
Is the following regimen too harsh or even counterproductive, or does bringing more structure and discipline to a school create a safer environment, instill more responsibility and teach students to be members of a community?
In Cheektowaga the reaction is mixed.
If I ever had to be told to keep my kids
quiet in a restaurant, I'd be mortified.
Not because they were being discriminated against as Heather claimed in her letter to Chili's on Planetfeedback, but because I would be embarrassed that someone had to tell me that my children were being disruptive instead of realizing it myself.
There are definitely two types of parents. I'm not sure how their attitudes about behavior and discipline are established, but I do know it's not difficult to distinguish one style from the other when you're seated near them in a restaurant.
Here's the difference.
I recently came across an unsettling little soundbite on YouTube regarding a topic which is near and dear to my heart - World of Warcraft. This recording (with helpful "translations" on screen) purports to be of a child being told to log off and go to bed, right as he begins a raid with a group of other players. The total meltdown of not just him but his parents as well is at times a bit humorous in a dark way, but mainly it's chilling. Clearly there is a serious problem at work here, but what is its source? Is the game the culprit here, or is there a larger issue in this family and in other families who encounter these kinds of problems?
Continue reading "It's the End of the World...of Warcraft " »
Billy, a twelve year old boy with Down Syndrome, went shopping for a pet fish,
but to his disappointment, he was told by the store employee that he was not allowed to pick the one he wanted. He felt strongly enough about it to write a letter via Planetfeedback expressing his concerns. He said the clerk yelled at him and questioned his ability to read the sign about not choosing fish. In the letter, Billy said he was offended because he has Down Syndrome, but it's not clear if that's what he actually meant.
Raising a child with a disability is challenging, but should a disability ever be used as a reason for the child to receive special treatment in public? Do protective parents with good intentions unknowingly and unintentionally give that impression to their child?
