Inventive parenting!

This story cracks me up every time I read it. You see, young Trenton O’Neal’s parents weren’t pleased with his performance on his last report card, and rather then yell, or ground him, or take away his toys, they decided to use a form of embarrassment to get their displeasure across to him, and make definite imprint in his mind. They had him stand on a corner with that poster board around his neck and not-so-proudly show off his grades with the addition of “My Future = shaky.”

Naturally, he boy has gotten the point, and says that he certainly doesn’t want to be out there again, and his preacher papa and mama stand by their decision to place him there, as Trenton wasn’t “trying at all” not even to “turn in the work he does while we’re watching.”

I feel their pain. My son is not the greatest scholar – he very much has his daddy’s view on the whole thing, and while that’s tempered with my insistence that a high school diploma is necessary, and anything after that is up o them, it’s clear that the boy? He just doesn’t do school well.

It’s been a battle this year, as he insists that he can handle it on his own, without my nagging. It’s always hard to know where to draw the line, as he’s wanting to grow up, to take charge, to take on the responsibility. Meanwhile my heart is something like OMG MAH BABY BOY HES TOO LITTLE, crossed with FINE! Just GROW up already! See if I care!

He had a close call last semester, so I’ve been riding him a bit more about it this quarter. It doesn’t help when he ends up at work until 3 am this morning, and didn’t quite make it to school until just before his project presentation is due, but he checked his grades online first before deciding to sleep in – which made it an educated decision.

So, while his grades may not be perfect at least he knows and is working toward the goal I set for him – graduation. After that, he can take his time deciding what he really wants to do. I won’t be making him stand on any street corners in he meantime.

For now.
🙂