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Throw me a friggin’ bone here…

Writer's picture: Jamonica DisserJamonica Disser

Dude, being mom to a high schooler is not for the faint of heart!

Our youngest son is something. Kid is naturally, athletically talented. He’s smart. He’s creative. Annnndddd completely lazy! It boggles my mind how a kid can be so lazy when the example is the exact opposite. The hubs and I pride ourselves on hard work and dedication in all things. We want our kids to see what we expect from them. Ya know??

The kid has struggled in high school from day one. Dad and I understand transitioning from private to public school can be tough. We gave grace. And help. And any assistance needed. He scraped by with a GPA that made me sweat. Summer school was a must.

Sophomore year started and he was pumped. Promised more focus, hard work and that mom wouldn’t have to hover like a Blackhawk helicopter in a war zone. First semester grades went final today. I am not impressed. Disappointed. Irritated. Upset. But not impressed.

The hubs and I decided to practice our compassionate parenting. Instead of heading straight for “you’ll never see the light of day again” and grounding him, we opted for seeing if he could figure out what’s wrong with the situation. I’ll never get that hour of my life back.

He has some tentative plans. All of which require college. Yeah. His grades don’t warrant community college let alone U of Miami. And there’s always his plan to play ball in Europe. But he hasn’t played team ball in over two years now. Sooooo, I wouldn’t hang my hat on that either. The hubs and I tried to guide him to the understanding that barely passing wasn’t going to cut it. Mainly because mom will lose her mind if he fails anything else. But also because success comes from hard work.

In that hour of excruciating conversation, we pointed out college isn’t a sure fire way to success. I have three degrees and I’m a work from home mom who writes novels and children’s school programs. There are plenty of successful people who didn’t go to college. Examples were given. But, passing high school is a must. And a crap ton of hard work, dedication and focus!!

Tears were shed. From him. He was subdued at dinner. No fart jokes or crazy stories. He looked as though we’d killed his pet goldfish as he brought us the power cords to his tech. I can practically hear the durge that will play as he hands over his phone for the next nine weeks.

I don’t feel bad. We gave grace. Tons of chances. And plenty of mercy. Pep talks. Reality checks. And good old fashioned because I said reared it’s head. Now, I will compassionately tough love him through the next semester. Hopefully, we both survive…..

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