Search Results for: blog grades arent everything

Some Parents are Following their Teens to College

Students who graduate from high school are eligible to continue their education by going to college. These students are eighteen years of age (or older) and are adults. For whatever reason, there are now some parents who choose to follow their son or daughter to college. We have all heard of the phrase “helicopter parenting”. While some will argue that this parenting style provides certain benefits, many others continue to view it as less than ideal. A helicopter parent is one that swoops in and solves his or her child’s problems for them. That’s a great thing to do if … Continue reading →

Parents Talk Less about Their Teens

There is something interesting I have noticed about parents. I remember when my children were younger; we couldn’t stop talking about our kids. When they were babies we talked about how many hours they slept, how well they napped and their “firsts.” Their first smile, first time they rolled over and so on. As they became toddlers we talked about what it was like having a mobile child and how everything needs to be put out of their reach. We talked about their words and the funny things they said. When they got into elementary school we talked about how … Continue reading →

Being Balanced with Teen’s Grades

One of the things that I strive really hard for in parenting is to be balanced. I don’t claim to be perfect. In fact, I am far from it. However, I do make every effort I can to make sure things are fair and balanced. I think this has more to do with my own childhood. In some areas my parents weren’t very strict, like with my grades at school but then in other areas, they were over the top strict. An example would be telling me what I could go to college for. When I announced the field I … Continue reading →

Vamos a Cuba Again (Or Political Correctness for Primary Grades)

An advisory panel to the Miami Dade Superintendent Rudy Crew recommended that the controversial children’s book, Vamos a Cuba, remain on school library bookshelves for now. After seven hours of discussion spread over two difficult meetings, the panel found that while the book appears to be lacking in content, there is no sufficient reason to remove it. The decision of the panel is a non binding recommendation to the superintendent, who has 5 days to decide if the book stays or goes. He has already stated that he has no intention of removing the book. He had been looking to … Continue reading →

Teaching Responsibility Through Chores

We didn’t have a lot of chores growing up. Every Saturday we had to help clean the bathrooms, but that was about it. We helped a little here and there, but in the end, we didn’t do a whole lot to help around the house when we were kids. My mother tried, but after battling grumpy children for a couple years she finally gave up. In very little time, she had six spoiled teenagers who didn’t know how to cook or clean for themselves. I was the only one who had a consistent job through high school, and the others … Continue reading →

They Are Who They Are

Most parents would probably say that they truly want their kids to find their own identity. We want them to be who they were meant to be. But when they become teenagers and they start to go a direction we never envisioned or we don’t like, suddenly we try to mold our children into what we think they should be. And I’m not just talking about teens that go the “wrong direction.” It could be things such as the way they view the world (especially if it’s different than we taught them) or their style (makeup, hair and clothing). We … Continue reading →

Portrait of an Emotional Abuser: The Preacher

Carl knew it was coming. The real question was how long it would last. Depending on what kind of day his dad was having, it could be a few minutes or a half hour. If he didn’t have to bring back his progress report signed by a parent, he wouldn’t even have showed him his grades. Carl might have asked his mother to sign, but he knew her response would be, “Show your father.” Might as well get it over with. Carl shifted from foot to foot as he stood by the kitchen table watching his father read over his … Continue reading →

The World of Dating Has Entered Our Home

The world of “dating” has at last entered our home. It is something I wasn’t necessarily dreading but definitely wasn’t looking forward to. I have always said that this time could only come based on certain factors. It wouldn’t be a “magical age” in which permission would be granted. It would be based on things such as grades, my level of trust, the character of my child and so on. In other words, it would be taken on a case-by-case basis. In addition, I have spent the past few years observing the way other families have handled this issue. Now … Continue reading →

Am I Raising a Hoarder Or Is This Her Security Blanket

One thing that can be counted on when you have a child or two, is the mountain of “stuff” that comes with them. First there are bottles and diapers and strollers and the like, and then come the toys. The toys never seem to stop coming, birthdays, Christmas, good grades, whatever it is, there always seems to be a toy or ten attached. Every time I walk into my daughter’s room I’m amazed at the amount of stuff she has collected in her short life. Coming from a divorced family on accelerates the collection. Christmas at Mom’s and Christmas at … Continue reading →

Positive Encouragement Can Help Kids With ADHD

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Parents of children who have ADHD understand that there are no simple, quick, answers about how to help their child. Treatment for ADHD can include medication and behavior modification, and those things take time before they can become effective. What about trying some positive feedback? At least one researcher thinks it could help. Think for a moment about something you were working on that was difficult for you. It should be something that you didn’t find particularly fun, and that took a long time before you saw any results. For many people, this could describe a diet. Most people do … Continue reading →