I am not sure there anything more frustrating than seeing your kids grades at times. What drives me crazy is the inconsistency. I look down rows and rows of grades and see great grades and then BOOM two or three homework assignments not turned in! I understand when they struggle with concepts. I understand bad grades when they have studied hard but the material was too far out of reach. I understand when they TRY! But when I see carelessness, lack of effort and forgetting to hand in assignments it drives me crazy. I was not always the most conscientious of students which is what drives me to push my kids a little harder. I want my kids to be conscientious. I want them to care. I want to be less frustrated.

Like parents everywhere I am learning this as I go. I see similarities in how Lucas is handling 6th grade and how Zach handled 6th grade. When Zach just started 7th grade I paid a visit to his school counselor and asked her if he was just a 13 year old boy or was it something more. He was so scattered and forgetful. It drove me crazy. Lucas is doing the exact same things Zach did when he was in 6th grade. He is so stinking scattered and forgetful but now I know it is just 13 year old boy. Zach and Lucas are both in transition years this year so I am hit with a double whammy. Going from elementary school to middle school and middle school to high school has been quite a year. Stan and I recently had a conference with Zach’s English teacher, Mrs. Skinner, and she assured us Zach is a typical freshman boy. He wants to be too cool for all of his friends so the he goofs around a little too much in English class and when he gets a C he and his buddies compare which one got the lowest C. I figured that was the case since this seems to be a repeat of his transition year from 5th to 6th grade but it’s nice to hear it from the experts. Mrs. Skinner aslo told us a light build seems to go off in these goofy boys toward the end of 9th grade. Thankfully, it is happening now. It took a lot longer for the lightbulb to go off for Zach in middle school and I see the similarties in Lucas. These will be different issues when Claire gets to middle school but I am learning as I go. Luckily, I feel a bit more armed with knowledge and a bit more patient in my approach.

I will continue to be driven crazy by two goofy boys. I will stay on top of them when they screw up and encourage them to get extra help when the don’t grasp a concept. I will be here for them, pushing them just a little harder each day to keep the grades up by turning in homework and studying for tests. I am happy to be their study partner when they need a little extra study session. I will be frustrated at times and exhilarated at others. I will keep learning as I go for the love of my children…