When parents should get involved in kids' issues

[seabeyond]

--"I had one sixth-grade parent who would e-mail me the night before tests, asking for a copy of the test to 'help' her child."

-- "One mother brought her child to school late every Friday so she would conveniently miss the math flash-card tests, which made the girl nervous."

-- "A parent changed the relay order for a swim meet on my computer while I was out coaching. She wanted her kid to swim backstroke, not butterfly."

-- "One father called me after an uninvited child showed up at his daughter's slumber party, asking me to penalize the student. I told him teachers don't police slumber parties."

http://www.cnn.com/2011/10/18/living/parents-butt-out/index.html?hpt=hp_bn8
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i thought these were funny.

me? i don't interfere so much. found nothing in those categories. generally when kid is not doing well in school. that is about it.

[raccoon]

1. All those parents aren't doing their kids any favor. They're

trying to make their kids' lives easy. Nobody's life is easy all the time, not even
Alice Walton's. Sooner or later, difficulties rear their heads and you gotta learn to
deal with them. Easier to do so sooner than later.

[VWolf]

2. Amen. The trick is finding the middle ground

between "You're on your own" and "If I don't speak up for my kid, who will?"

As a parent of two girls, I'm always struggling with this. That's not to say I'd do ANY of the things mentioned in the OP.

[seabeyond]

3. at this time, i have found most all conflicts, my boys can address well.

there may be times i will step in just to be a body standing there, but not so much in resolving the issue. the boys like doing for self. adn they seem to do it well.

i had one issue last week with son, his cross country team and amazingly, the mom of the coach. but it was more just being present, instead of becoming a part of the issue

[Warpy]

4. They're not funny to teachers

One of the other boards I post on has a lot of teachers and this is a very common complaint, that the parents who are involved with the kids often demand test questions so that little Johnny or Susie will vindicate the gene pool by getting them all right. It's really tough for a teacher to be put into this position and it seems they all are.

I don't know what's worse, the helicopter parent or the absent one.

[seabeyond]

6. I don't know what's worse, the helicopter parent or the absent one.

true that.

lol

as i am scheduled to meet with each teacher this afternoon, for my youngest son. ah ha. lol

actually, he has to go with me to each class, and hear the ugly of it, and what is expected out of him from the teachers.

[lunasun]

5. And when they grow up they will expect the world to turn for them this way

Entitled parenting = entitled children.

I have had teachers whisper a little bit of frustation( no personal names of course and I would not want to know) of the last few years' crop of kids and what many are like.
I feel sorry for the teachers now days .

It starts with a lack of vitamin when they are young I told one teacher.
She looked at me weird.
Then I said its called vitamin NO

She repied the children or their parents?
Then it was my turn to laugh

Teacherrs now are getting screwed from both ends and in many other cultures they are respected by parents
Here not so much
We always say your teachers are giving you a great gift of knowledge . Respect the gift and the giver.
I think it comes down to lack of respect from the parent for the teacher .

[seabeyond]

7. i agree. one of the most amazing things for me was

a teacher telling me my son needed to come in for tutoring, until he understood the math.

i was excited. i thanked the teacher.

she was surprised and ready for battle. she told me, too many parents whine or argue the children getting extra help.

that one floored me.