Don't let anyone say that I have not put my heart and soul into raising my child. I am a single father parent to a 14 year old ninth grader and I am wondering if I was anywheres like him when I was 14 years old. I'm saying that I do understand that we are living in a different time now, with all the technological advances and stuff, it should be easier to do things. Oh but not raising a child. Child rearing these days encompasses some stuff that the society has never dealt with and things that make you want to pull your hair out. I beleive if my mother and father had to deal with a 14 year old these days that it would kill them. Dead! In fact I know my father would have straight up killed me for disrespecting a teacher or wearing my clothes like a clown. I really feel some pity for the teachers who have to deal with this every day. My child is no different than any other child except he's mine and I really would like for him to represent me as a better parent than he has. He's not dumb, but because he's being raised without his "mother" I beleive that a lot of what he does is to get special attention from his teachers. Female teachers, that is.
I was called to his sschool today by a couple of his teachers. It was reported to me that he does silly stuff in class and when he doesn't get the attention that he's looking for, he pouts or becomes quite surly. He will show up for one class late, some days he will not bring his book, some days he will not do the "bell-work", he will allow his shirt-tail to hang out and so forth. Even though I have spoken to him about all these things, it's like he has not heard me. When I ask him about all the stuff the teachers say he will insist that this is not the case. Then, I'm like asking if the teachers are lying on him or what...then he tries to offer up some lame-assed excuses for what has happened and it is obvious that he has not learned that I will not accept any excuse for bad behavior, not following rules and not being a positive participant in class room work.
It is a bit frustrating to go through this stuff and I become very tense and sometimes have to "catch" myself before I totally goes off on him. It is not like I have not disciplined him, put I am determined to "not" beat this child into compliance. What, I ask myself, am I to do?
I am not going to get too much more worked up about it but at the same time I know I need to do something. Do not suggest counseling for him (or me) because I do not think that is needed. So I am back to the old fashioned remedy...I'm gonna have to beat that ass until it ropes like okra. Oh yeah, I am going "Old Skool" on my child and he better hope it makes him stronger 'cause it sho gonna feel like I'm trying to kill him!
