Day 3

Jan 3
Went to register Jason at his Deerlake Middle School this morning. Jason is not doing well in school. He’s plenty smart but he doesn’t turn in his homework (he does it mind you, just doesn’t turn it in) and it’s caused him to receive F’s, much to the displeasure of his parents. I’m told this happens frequently with kids this age (boys mainly) and it helps to know he’s not the only kid in the world doing this, but it’s stressing me out! His test scores are low also, which isn’t good. I have a feeling changing schools will be a positive thing for him, and after we toured the school he perked up. It’s a very nice school with different rules… more lenient than Swift Creek. He can sit where he wants at lunch and he can take his backpack with him to his classes. He even thought his new planner was way cooler!

We met with the eighth grade counselor while Jessica sat in the lobby, highly put out that she couldn’t be in on the meeting. This counselor (Laura) is wonderful. She talked to Jason about how serious it was that he get motivated and that she was there to help him. I sat there and let her do the talking. Although David and I have said the same things to him countless times, he needed to hear this from the school. I could tell he was about to cry a couple of times but he kept it in. She explained that sometimes people can squeak by and get away with poor grades and work habits, especially when in sixth or seventh grade but because he would be going on to ninth grade—high school—it was a different ball of wax and if he didn’t work hard to pull himself out of this hole the school would have no choice but to retain him until he was “ready” to move on. I think it hit home with him. I hope so.

Later in the day, Jessica went to play over at her friend Jessica’s house. It was just Jason and me. Jason was in a decent mood given his normal sulky state. One of my goals of better parenting is to expect more from the kids with regard to cooking and cleaning. They are certainly old enough and they’ve helped in the past but not without complaining the entire time. I’m also showing them how to clean and fix things; explaining how things work so they can deal with issues when I’m not around. For instance, the toilet in their bathroom runs occasionally. I explained why it happens and how to fix it. This evening Jason helped me cook dinner… meatloaf, mashed potatoes (from scratch), peas and cornbread. Then he washed the dishes… not loading them in the dishwasher... but actually washed them by hand and he didn’t complain ONCE. It’s a miracle. I think I’m on to something!

Tomorrow is the first day for both at their new schools.