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Reason to worry?

Discussion in 'Anything goes' started by Evil ... Thy name is Orville Redenbacher!!, Oct 23, 2015.

  1. TigerVols

    TigerVols Well-Known Member

    Sometimes I think that about 80 percent of whatever success in life, at least my professional life, I've achieved is due to skills I learned and experiences I had in Boy Scouts.
     
  2. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    I often think about the same thing, TV. I attribute what little success I've had to the farm work I did as a kid. Loading watermelons, hay, and general farm work for a man in the church where I grew up certainly taught me the value of a dollar -- he was a cheap ass -- and what it meant to work HARD. I took those skills and lessons and was able to apply them and succeed when others faltered when it got too hard.
     
  3. three_bags_full

    three_bags_full Well-Known Member

    I'm a huge fan of competition for kids. If he isn't into sports, maybe suggest some other competitive venture, like debate team or maybe go-kart racing (which isn't nearly as expensive as it sounds).
     
  4. cranberry

    cranberry Well-Known Member

    That's a difficult age. Boys are typically going through puberty at different stages, some sooner than others, and adjusting to that and all that goes along with it.

    Is there a home room or other teacher whose opinion you could solicit?
     
  5. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Evil,

    I would insist your son engage in some kind of activity. Most of us are not eager to try new things but may love them once we do. Sometimes you just need the push from a parent.

    Music is great. My son started playing bassoon in 7th grade, and it was how he got into the best public school in the city n the performing arts program and a college scholarship.

    Like Capt. Kirk, I have two sons. The older was always out with friends. In middle school, he's go to parties where he was the only go with a half-d0zen or more girls.

    The younger (musician) was never shy to talk to parents and other kids but would rather be at home interacting with other kids via video games. We practically had to push him out the door.

    He started wrestling his sophomore year and really blossomed his senior year. Now he is pledging a fraternity in college, really into exercice and lifting weights. This is a kid who at age 13 I told him I wouldn't sign him up for baseball again because he never practiced.

    So give him a push to get him to do something that he really probably wants to do but needs the assist. Just remember, middle school sucks. It's hard for everyone.

    Good luck.
     
  6. JC

    JC Well-Known Member

    Good luck "insisting" that they engage in an activity.
     
    SpeedTchr likes this.
  7. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I'm not sure the bolded portion is going to sell real well in these parts.
     
  8. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Oh, well. Would not have been my choice.
     
  9. Ace

    Ace Well-Known Member

    Older they get, the more leverage you have. Video game time, for example.
     
  10. Mr. Sunshine

    Mr. Sunshine Well-Known Member

    I understand what Ace is saying. He's just not good with words. :) You have to encourage kids at times to try new things. Again, though, teens are going to push back at most anything, regardless of personality. It's a tough balancing act to push but not push too hard.
     
    Ace likes this.
  11. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    With the enormous disclaimer that mine is only 6, so I haven't had the pleasure of having a surly tween around the house yet: We insist on things. We insist that you either do your reading or your math or clean your room or put your laundry in the hamper, or else we'll instead insist that the iPad and, with it, "Angry Birds Star Wars," to cite one motivator, can stay on the shelf this weekend.
     
  12. Dick Whitman

    Dick Whitman Well-Known Member

    I was just joking. Obviously it indicates he's social. I'm mostly all for it. But that's not the consensus here.
     
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