Friday November 13, 2009
A mom on
the forum asks: My 15 year old son has decided that if he skips enough school and fails enough classes, he will GET to go to an alternative school. He has several "friends" that attend, and I think he thinks it is the easy way out ("it's a shorter day and they don't care if you skip!", his words). I think ALC's provide an excellent opportunity for students that really need them, don't misunderstand. I just get the feeling my son is just being lazy, and wants more time to "play".
He does deal with ADD; trouble staying on task, staying organized, and being overwhelmed with workload. However, he goes to a wonderful school, and they are willing to work with him, he's just given up. When I say that, I mean, he is consciously skipping, and just won't do his work. He can do it, he is just not willing to put the time in. I fear he is manipulating to get what he wants, when he is doing fine where he is, if he would just stay put, and put forth a little effort. If he were really trying, and not skipping, and still struggling, I would have a different opinion.
I guess my position is, do I let him try alternative school to see if it might be a better fit for him, or do I continue to struggle with him on homework, staying in school, and failing? I want his education to be positive for him, but on the other hand, I want him to learn sometimes we need to push through something difficult to become stronger.
Denise's thoughts: It sounds to me like maybe getting him something to dream about that is bigger and better than alternative school might work. He sounds like he is not having a good experience school when he is there and he searching for something better and showing you by skipping school. Maybe you can help him find something he is good at and promote him doing it, instead of changing his school for discipline reasons? For example, does he like mechanics or would he like to try to work on cars? If so, enroll him in night fix-it classes or find a garage that needs a helper. Once teens are engaged in something they enjoy and that can help build their confidence, school and other responsibilities become easier.
Asking our community: What are your thoughts? Please share your advice and opinions in the comments area.
Thursday November 12, 2009
Time has
reported on a new study out that blames obesity in teens more on food consumption then exercise, although it does concede that it is a combination of the two factors. Most writers just talked about how food is the culprit according to the study. That is not what it says at all. Here are some of the facts as stated in the
Time.com article about the change of physical activity:
"But the survey also found that teens' overall rate of daily exercise had not changed much since 1991, when the study sample was first asked to report their participation in gym classes in school and their level of physical activity at home. The percentage of teens attending daily gym class has stayed relatively steady since 1991; on average, the yearly change in the proportion of students participating was less than 1%. The percentage of ninth- through 12th-graders getting adequate levels of moderate physical activity -- exercise such as slow bicycling, fast walking or pushing a lawn mower, which did not make participants break a sweat -- also changed very little, from 26.7% in 1999 to 26.5% in 2005"
I was just thinking about this recently. My middle daughter is playing basketball. On the days that she practices, she comes home and eats a good meal with a smile. On the days that she doesn't, she picks at her food and snacks the rest of the night on junk food. I came to the conclusion that organized sports and activities really are the best way to get teens exercising and eating right.
Asking our community: Why do you think schools offer physical activity opportunities only for kids who have the talent to entertain with sports games and not just as activities for all teens to promote good health? Do you think the tide will change anytime soon? Please share your thoughts in the comments area.
More: Quiz: Are you raising a healthy teen?
Thursday November 12, 2009
My aunt said something about her twin 18-year-old daughters recently that I found to be true of my own daughter - and I never noticed. She said, "When my girls enter a store at the mall, they make a bee line right for the clearance rack first." So does my oldest and she always manages to find the best deals there for clothes that she can wear that day. It seems the clearance racks aren't just for the past season's stuff anymore.
Does your teen check out the clearance items in their favorite stores? Do you? Please share your stories, opinions and advice in our comments area.
More: Thrifty Tips for Families | Five First-rate Opportunities to Talk Money Sense with Your Teen
Follow the About.com Parenting & Family's Thrifty Thursday:
Tuesday November 10, 2009
Revisiting guest author
Susan Heim's article today. She formerly was the Senior Editor for the bestselling Chicken Soup for the Soul series and is an author. She has written about a wonderful experience her son has had and what you and your teen can learn from it.
Talk about it and
find local volunteer opportunities with your teen. Set a goal to become involved and use the volunteering as some one-on-one time with your teenager - you know how hard it is to get some of that - or do it as a family activity.
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