Supposed Answering Machine Message at Australian School (more likely a prank)

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Health Class in 7th Grade

My daughter has a semester long health class as a 7th grader. I asked during Open House what was on the agenda. I didn't think they'd only be talking about acne treatments and I was right. There will be some chatting about puberty, which just made my daughter cringe when she heard, along with healthy eating and the importance of exercise. I can remember at that age being embarrassed to talk about that stuff in school with a bunch of people but it was the only place I learned about what I needed to know since my parents wouldn't talk about it.

I am open with all the kids (mine and my stepkids) to talk about anything they want. If they ask it, they will get an answer. I also supplied several age-appropriate books on the shelves. I want to make sure they have all the knowledge they need when they're ready for it (in case they're not comfortable talking to their dad or me about something...but I hope they always are).

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Strong Stomachs

One of my sisters is taking an accelerated program to become a nurse. I have two sisters who are nurses already. It's some new program (accredited obviously) they've brought into the states that shortens up the amount of time it takes to get your nursing degree.

I will be glad when she's through it. She's a single mom and having a career will be good for both her and my niece. Having one as a nurse, when the medical field will always be needed, is great.

I get queasy looking at needles and I have two, and will have three, sisters dressing in medical scrubs as nurses. I guess I didn't get the cast iron stomach gene.

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The University of Scranton

I've been looking around online for a good college to finish my degree. I want it totally online, accredited (this is very important to me), with the ability to finish the degree quicker than the norm (again, very important as a mother of four young kids).

I found The University of Scranton which received fantastic ranking in The Princeton Review. If that's not enough, for the 14th consecutive year, U. S. News & World Report ranked them in the top for master's for schools in the north. If you're looking for the best online MBA, check out one of America's best colleges. Financial aid is available (with this economy, who couldn't use a little financial help).

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How to discipline for bad grades from a teenager

The ex has been letting my stepson fail for the past three years. When I say "let" I literally mean she didn't do anything about it. He was missing too many assignments, failing tests, not doing his best on homework when he did it. This kid used to be an "A" student. We live 200 miles away so it's not like we could make him sit down and do his homework. Obviously she didn't either and she lives in the same home with him. The school even offered him tutoring at the beginning of this school year. Has he gone to tutoring all year? Nope.

She recently had a meeting with the school about his almost failing several classes (he's right on the edge). Her idea on how to get him to stop teetering on the edge of failure? Give him a reward at the end of the week if he does better. The kid isn't three years old and using a potty training chart! You have to understand that this 13-year-old boy already has an mp3 player, two electric guitars and amps, PSP, Nintendo, XBox, computer, cell phone, expensive clothes, eats out and goes to the movies regularly and basically does whatever he wants. What other "reward" can you give him? Let him goof off on myspace an additional few hours a day if he stops getting D's? Take him to two movies a week instead of one? Buy him two video games instead of just one? How about taking away some of those privileges away instead and giving them back when he brings up his grades? Hmmm...that would be too much like actually giving him CONSEQUENCES and we (she) can't do that!

My stepson loves his guitars. He's just like his dad in that way. If you took those guitars away for a couple weeks until interims came out showing he had improved his grades, I'll bet you he'd bring those grades up quickly. He's capable of it. His teachers know he is and state so in all their reports. He's just not being held accountable by his mom. It's a shame too because he has so much potential and she doesn't care enough to expect him to live up to it...or even attempt to do a little bit.

The ex won't listen to a word dad says and has to do it all her way. She thinks when we ground my stepson when he is here for inappropriate behavior that we are too strict (sending a boy to his room or taking away video games is too strict??). When did expecting your child to be responsible become too strict? Sometimes I worry about what some of these kids in society, like my stepson, are going to be like as adults.

Isn't a child's success or failure in school a custody consideration? I believe it is.

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Missing High School Education

There are a few subjects that I think were missing in the high school curriculum. They are household finances and general automotive maintenance. I think these two subjects should be a part of all teenagers' education because it is something that every person will need to know.

For instance, would it be so hard to teach teenagers, especially women, how to change oil (or check oil for that matter), do a tune-up, change a tire, etc? They should teach general maintenance/repair that would give them the knowledge to not only take care of their own vehicle but know when a mechanic is cheating them. They don't have to teach them what coilovers are or anything really technical but I think these two subjects are truly things that you would use in life. How many times did we ask ourselves in high school while struggling with homework why we needed to learn something in particular? I know I did, especially in geometry and while we were dissecting Garfield.

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Dad Gets Jail Cause Daughter Didn't Get GED

The judge in this case is catching a lot of flack if my research over the net on all the news agencies that have picked up this story is any indication.

Here's the short summary: Daughter was supposed to earn a GED. She didn't. She skipped school, etc. They would drop her off at school and she'd just go out another door. Dad had custody but she spent that time at her mother's house from what I understand. According to the report at FOXNews, the daughter would skip school when she was at her mother's. Dad may lose his job of which he's been at for 15 years because of this jail time.

So, why is dad in jail for six months because his almost 19 year old daughter didn't get her GED? What does that say about all the parents of all the high school dropouts around the country? Why aren't they all in jail? If the roles had been reversed - if mom had custody but she'd been at dad's, would mom be charged and sent to jail? I highly doubt it! In one article I read, the biological mother even admitted to her part in the blame for this yet dad sits in jail.

According to these statistics, more than one million high school students drop out of school each year. So are their parents going to be jailed each year because of it? I think not.

To read more from the Associated Press, click here.

The UK has even picked this up.

So, can he get a "get out of jail early" card? Sure, he can. If his adult daughter passes the math portion of her GED test. She is almost 19, has a child and is engaged! Do I think she should get her GED? Of course! I think education is important. However, I don't think her father should be in jail because she didn't.


This is the judge:
The Judge in This Case

Prosecuting Attorney of Butler County, Ohio: Robin N. Piper

If you'd like to let them know how you feel about this, here ya go:

Phone: 513.887.3474

Mailing Address:
Butler County Prosecuting Attorney
P.O. Box 515
Hamilton, OH 45012

Office Location:
Butler County Government Services Center
315 High Street - 11th Floor
Hamilton, OH 45011

You have drug dealers, child molesters, rapists, murderers and this judge puts a dad in jail and won't let him out early unless his ADULT daughter passes the math portion of her GED test. Do my Ohio state tax dollars pay for this judge?

Education is very important to me. I expect my kids to graduate and I expect them to go onto college. I hope they will in any event. While they live under my roof, they WILL be in school. There are no negotiations on that. However, given the dropout rate across this country, why is this one dad being picked out of the million other parents to serve jail time when his daughter is now an adult?

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