Posted in Motivating and Organizing Kids, Talk with Kids on Sep 28th, 2009
My 5-year-old daughter, Belinda, is very shy. She gets nervous in social settings, such as church trips and the playground. Last year, she was in a fairly structured half-day pre-kindergarten, but she is still standoffish socially. Every night since school started, she says going to the lunchroom upsets her tummy. I feel so bad for [...]
Posted in Talk with Kids on Aug 3rd, 2009
Our school has let parents request a teacher, without guarantees, but we usually get our choice. Parents were just informed that the policy was no longer in effect, and the lists were redrawn to make larger classes. I am furious my third-grade son, Jason, didn’t get the teacher I wanted. Our school is highly rated, [...]
Posted in Talk with Kids on Jun 8th, 2009
My seventh-grade daughter, Katrina, just told me that she and her girlfriends cheated on their final science test. I lectured her and got the “Mom, everybody does it and there’s so much pressure” pout. I want to go to school and have her tell the teacher, but my husband says if the other girls won’t [...]
Posted in Talk with Kids on Mar 2nd, 2009
My daughter Amanda says that her friend routinely cheats on tests and just got an A on a paper her cousin wrote. My daughter doesn’t want to rat her out and tells me most of her friends think cheating is no big deal. I don’t want Amanda to ever think cheating is OK. Should I [...]
Posted in Motivating and Organizing Kids, Talk with Kids on Feb 23rd, 2009
I just went to school for the umteenth time to discuss my son Tripp, a fifth-grader who gets bored in class so he’s always in trouble. At the end of the meeting, the principal told me, “I need you to take more responsibility for Tripp’s behavior and grades. He’s capable of success. We can’t do [...]
Posted in Talk with Kids on Feb 16th, 2009
My teenage son has a “study buddy,” and he benefits from the focus his friend provides. The other night, when I took this boy home, he dropped his backpack, and a baggie and rolling papers fell out. He didn’t think I saw it. While I communicate well with my son, I feel awkward bringing this [...]