School Comes First

So once again, I get to be the bad guy.
My son, 13 and in high school, has let his grades slip.

I remember what is was like to have my first relationship. It was all consuming. And that is exactly where he is at. But things are different now. Technology has caused the allowance of all consuming to really be ALL consuming. Text messaging and the cell phone.
I remember when I was his age, cell phone were car phone...You didn't carry them around with you. Talking to your boyfriend or girlfriend was on a real phone, and that was times by your parents. Especially since there was no way they were getting me my own phone line.

But now, text messaging can seriously take hours a day, if you pay that close of attention to how often they are doing it. Because of this, grades have slipped and I get to be the bad one.

I first talked to him about how disappointed I was that he let this happen. The whole while thinking it is all my fault for not being more strict. And he had the nerve to tell me that he didn't understand why I was so upset that he is now an average student.

Average...I guess most of us parents will not settle for average. I sure know that I will not.

That just hit a sore spot with me, the fact that he thinks it is okay to settle for average, now that he has been consumed with text messaging his girlfriend.

And I went where I never thought I would. I explained that from now on he turns his phone over when he gets home from school and he will only be allowed to have it from 8-9pm. You would have thought that hell popped up out of the floor and swallowed us all up. Because if looks could kill, I'd be dead.
And I also told him that I would not allow him to have a girlfriend any more if he was unable to manage school, sports and her. he had the nerve to tell me he was going to give up football because he couldn't handle all of it.

Unlucky for him, I didn't take that too well.

So needless to say, discipline it is.

He will do better in school, follow his chores, play football and try to manage his girlfriend.

I had to be very strong about that fact that she would have to be the first thing to be dropped if he was having trouble managing his life.

Life is complicated, we need to learn to juggle all aspect sof it and not just let things slide to focus on what we think might be important.
Shoot, I can't give up my job to stay home. As much as I would like to and have a hard time juggling.