Time well spent.
My kids go to a wonderful school that teaches in an alternative way with great, but sometimes non-traditional results, overall I think they are getting a much better education than in most city run schools, especially the schools in the neighborhoods they live in. They are taught to be free-thinkers and immersed in the arts, but if I have one problem with the school is that it often feels as though they do not take the parent's schedule into account on any decisions they make. On any given month, the school will have 2 to 3 events taking place a week, either on the weekend or on one of the weeknights (and many times during the school day) that I feel bad if I can't attend. They are a public charter school, yet rely heavily on lots of fund raising and direct money from the parents to keep going, both are hard for me to do currently. They also tend to take multiple days off for minor holidays (2 days off for President's Day for example), and have a half day once a week which greatly affects my work schedule on a weekly basis. I just think that they sometimes forget that most parents have to work full-time and cannot alter their schedules so frequently.
I bring that up because my oldest son is in Little League this year for the first time and has been having practice twice a week, at 2-hours a clip. This week it's been upped to 3 times at 2.5 hours each. So 7.5 hours on baseball practice this week. Maybe it's just me, but that seems excessive. It's fun for him I'm sure, but I also have two other kids with me and that's 7.5 hours that affect their lives as well. Maybe it will return to something normal when the season actually starts, and maybe I just don't know enough about Little League.
Sorry for the rant, it's manageable, I'm just noticing a trend over the last several years where everyone believes if it's "for the kids" then it should be plausible and expected that the parents drop everything else and devote all their time to those events, which in reality and in today's economy, is not always possible or practical. Here is some art, as always, click to go big.
5 comments:
get use to it, thats what a parent is all about! haha!
I'm not looking forward to that.
That sounds pretty familiar, Ryan. My kids' schools are not quite like yours, but similar enough in the respect that they take too much time off and schedule more extra fund-raisers and events that we are comfortable with. Plus, my girl has Kempo 3 times a week, my oldest boy has swimming 3 times a week. So, on top of all that, I too have to try and make time for work at the shop and for the convention. I feel your frustration.
By the way, that Kilowog is awesome (he's my boy Jack's favorite GL...)
Charlie - Not necessarily, my parents didn't do all this when I was a kid and I think I turned out fine, with no issues towards my parents. I think it can be bad for a child to always be catered to and to make them feel they are always the most important thing in the world (even if they are to their parents).
Scott - No doubt there are plenty of sacrifices as you already know, I'm just talking about the feeling of entitlement aspect. I'm happy to do things for my kids but there has to be a point where too much is too much.
Brian - Yeah, it just seems like I'm frowned upon if I can't do everything they want. To me, they never really make it obvious or anything. I get an average of 9 emails a week from the school or something having to do with the school.
That Punisher is awesome!
My kid is in a charter school that is exactly the same. And they also require you to have 30 volenteer hours over the course of the year.
Ugh.
Post a Comment