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Recently I was experiencing some issues with my daughter. It seemed she simply did not want to do her homework any longer. So, after straight A’s since the beginning of the year, with an average of 99%, she simply decided to stop doing her homework. I approached her and asked her why, but she simply gave me a blank look and said nothing, I cover that in the recent post Troubled Daughter.
Since then, she seems to have bounced back, not only has she been turning in her homework, she also went back and completed the other homework she had not done. Her grades went back up to an A, except for a strong B, she has like 89.5 in the class. The teacher barely gives out homework and she assigns a high value for each assignment, which means if you miss an assignment it could potentially drop you down a whole letter grade – I don’t think that is fair, but it is what it is.
So, I am trying to understand what happened, she will not tell me or her mom, so we are not sure what made her decide to stop doing her homework, but when we talked to her, we explained the importance of school. Her going to school was not for my benefit, I had completed my schooling, her going to school was simply to give her an edge. I told her it is tough out in the world, the competition is fierce, and unfortunately, it is a little tougher for a woman – not saying that a woman cannot do it, just saying it is tougher for a woman, which is not fair, but you need every edge you can get. I told her that she was a smart young lady and that whatever happens to make her decide to stop doing homework she needed to shake it off. I told her if one of the teachers was giving her a hard time, or did someone in her class said something or even someone outside – I mentioned Minecraft – did someone say something during the game. Whatever it was that triggered this, you need to shake it off. At the end of school, you are probably not going to see any one of those students again, or anyone on Minecraft again – so what anyone might have said, it probably will not affect them in the least. So, I asked her to think about what she was doing, why she is doing it, and do the things you want to do. If you want to travel when you grow up, be a veterinarian, or maybe an artist – she loves to draw the choice is yours. I promise you I said to her, you will meet real friends, people that care about you and all of you, but for now concentrate on having fun, but following the path, we suggest for you. Not that we know better, not that we know what is best for you, but simply what we believe will help you reach your dreams. I am sure I said it differently, and I cannot remember everything word I said to her, but the thing is I tried.
I don’t know if my words reached her, but whatever happened she is back on the path and finishing up her homework. I did tell her that she is never alone and that there are three people on this planet she can count on me, her mother, and of course her brother – so never feel alone and remember communication is the key.
Anyhow, once again thanks for taking the time to read my post, I hope you have a wonderful rest of your day or evening.