Junior High School Years

As a parent you want to protect your children the best way you know how. You tell them the stove is hot before they touch it, you tell them to not run out in the street, to look both ways before crossing, that the internet/social media (at this age) is not good for them, you teach them right from wrong. And you feel that you have done your job. But what about the other parents out there, do you know what they have done to teach their children? Why I am asking is because what makes a bully? Our typical ideas of bullies are the tough guys from 1950's with the slicked hair and a cigarette hanging from their lips, demanding lunch money from the weaker boys. Can we say they come from a blue collar family or a family that has family members that have gone to prison, or families that are constantly fighting? We can't put a label on what a bully looks like anymore. A bully could actually be your child's best friend, or a friend that they hang out in a group with. It could be someone on the internet. It could be someone who goes to church every week and has an innocent looking face. And what about the children who are being bullied? What do they look like? Do they look like the computer geek/nerd, someone with a disability, or just a normal looking child with self-esteem issues? There is no mold for bullies or for the children being bullied. I know this because my daughter is being bullied and the girls who are the "bulliers" are just normal looking girls. The school says it will talk to the girls who have bullied my daughter. My question to the school, is okay you will speak to them, but will it stop? Will she feel safe enough to go back to school? Will WE feel safe enough to let her go back to school. There is no internet/social media/texting between the girls and my daughter because she isn't allowed to get on those sites, nor does she have a phone, so that part is okay. But just because the school has a talk with the bulliers; they might stop for a while until they feel that it is safe, then they can start up again. So when the school called the second time about my daughter being bullied, the decision was made. We decided to pull her out because the school system could not protect our daughter. They can not protect her 24 hours a day, nor the complete time she is in school, during recess or lunch. They can't put a guard next to her so no one will bully her; that is much more damaging I believe to the child. So we are now homeschooling our daughter. She loves school, so she misses it but we felt it was the best decision at the time. Homeschool IEP Move to another school Stay in present school

The Big Experiment Part II

Well, a month has gone by since I have taken away the WII, DS and computer at home. I think it worked. He did more reading, he played outside more (exercise)and he didn't keep telling me "Okay, I know" or "In a minute" everytime I asked him to do something. I mean there was still attitude (what should I expect from a 7th grader trying to understand school with everyone having attitude at school)but not as much. In fact, it was interesting because I went to parent-teacher conferences to see how he was doing and they all stated that he has been doing better. He still is not where I would like to see him acedemically. In fact the teachers all said that he could get A's. I know he could also, but he is the sort of person who doesn't have to study to get a good grade or at least a passing grade, and that is what he does. He doesn't study. I don't know how many more times I need to keep saying "study, study, study" for it to sink it, maybe I will always have to say it.

So the month was up and I let him use the gaming systems again, but after talking with his teachers, I decided to take them away and let him use them only on weekends. I feel that this is a compromise and we will see.