Score card for parenting?

Don't you wish there was one?  I mean something just to let you know you're on the right path with each child.  One to let you know you did the right thing in this situation and that.  As they get older, you seem to get thrown into more and more situations and it feels aweful to punish them so often.  I feel like we have done nothing but punish Cole lately.  I finally told him tonight that, though he might think we enjoy it, it would be so much easier to not do a thing and he could watch tv or listen to his MP3, not be bored, etc.  But, instead, we have to do what we feel he might learn a lesson from which causes us to have to stay on top of him to make sure he's adhering to the discipline. 

So for like the 3rd time in 2 weeks he has no screen privileges (tv, gameboy, MP3, etc.).  We also made him stay home from a Halloween party he was supposed to go to.  I was actually looking forward to getting to know the kids he hangs out with and some of their parents, but I didn't want him to think his actions were okay.  We couldn't figure out why he was already getting a D- in a class and he didn't know why either.  Uh huh.  He tells us this morning that he needs to write a paper after soccer.  It finally hits me that this paper is in the class he's getting a D in and he NEVER has weekend homework.  So I asked him and sure enough this paper was due FRIDAY.  Well, A....he lied...didn't know why he was getting a D.  And B....he procastinated and didn't complete homework that he had 4 days to work on.

We worked on it all day today.  I asked him if all of his Saturday was worth working on something he could have done in a couple of nights.  The answers was a big "this sucks, no way".  How else did you expect an 11 year old to answer you.  :)

Hopefully this is a score for the parentals.

Lisa

Wish you could pick your child's friends sometimes?

I do.  But, I know that will not work.  I try hard to sway our child and give them things to think about, but watching things happen is hard.  I'm sure as the girls get older it will be worse, 'cause girls are so catty, but boys have their own set of issues.

Cole had his MP3 player at school for a project on Monday.  He left it in the classroom (hidden from plain view) so he could use it again Tuesday.  Tuesday he found it to be gone.   He told his teacher and they looked everywhere for it.  He was mostly upset because the data cable that he had brought to hook it up to her computer was his dad's.  We'd told him very explicitly not to lose it since Cole couldn't find his own.  Finally, another student told the teacher they'd seen someone with an MP3 player on the bus that morning.  That child "found it" on Monday.  The teacher called to explain to me what had happened because Cole was so upset.  The cable was not found.  Last night Cole realized there was additional music downloaded on it an some of his songs were corrupted.  Funny, 'cause you can't download songs without that cable.  Well, the same kid "happened" to find the cable today in another area of the school.  ;0)  Uh huh.

This is one of his friends.  Can I insert the devil face here?  He doesn't see the problem because he doesn't know for sure this friend did it.  How to explain that one to an 11 year old??

Lisa

She's going Pro!

This is Kaelin's 3rd year playing soccer and she's now the senior on her team.  She's doing quite well and has improved a lot!  It's fun to watch her really get in there and fight for that ball.

Great speech by Republican McCotter of the House

http://www.liveleak.com/view?i=eb9_1222400775

Finally an unbiased political fact checker

at least that's the way it appears from what I've read so far.

EDUCATE YOURSELF BEFORE YOU VOTE!

http://www.factcheck.org/

Lisa

Where does "your" candidate stand

I found this pretty interesting. I can actually see what they've said.

http://www.ontheissues.org/default.htm

Vote Educated or Vote Party Lines

This is my question.  How many people vote strictly because it's "their" party?  How many vote because this person is of the party that typically carries their views?  How many just educate/research and then vote for the better candidate or what seems to be at the time?  I say what seems to be at the time because they can all lead us to believe what they want.  That latter question is what is our moral obligation....in my opinion.

I'm STILL undecided.  I'm leaning, but I'm not there and won't be completely until November.  I'm latching onto everything I can read to compare the two sets and hopefully make a good decision.  I found this site http://www.senate.gov/legislative/LIS/roll_call_lists/vote_menu_110_2.htm where I can read about their voting.  It seems they're both reaming each other about this, but with what I've read I've found they're both showing "not voting" about the same amount, so you can't go with that.  And when they do they "both" vote with their party.  So that's no a very good indication, now is it.

Ugghh....can't someone in power be their own person?

Lisa