"I want you to go upstairs.... and kill the boy!" [View All]

Everyone remember that comedy bit from Bill Cosby. Well, it's exactly how I'm feeling.

I just got a call from my son's guidance counselor, Mr. Ward. He says that the English teacher wants to move Tim from an honor's class to a college prep class. She says he's not doing honors work.

I asked about Tim's grades. Mr. Ward said that report cards went out two weeks ago and asked if I saw it. "No, I haven't. In fact I've asked him about LAST YEAR'S report card, which I never saw." Mr. Ward asked if I got his letter. "No, sir. I never got your letter."

Well, it turns out there's a reason for all this. Mr. Ward was happy to fax over the stuff he wanted me to see.

Tim is getting D's in all his classes, except 3 (An incomplete in Math, a low C in Spanish and a B in Band). He has missed 13 days of school (I'm only aware of 5). I should add that I ask consistently if he has homework and the answer is always "no".

I am beyond livid. In fact, I've moved straight into "sick" and I mean "sick" in the literal sense.

I had some problems w/ this a couple of years ago, but we got it hammered out and I was pretty sure that would never happen again.

To think, just last night we were looking at cars to buy for him.

There will be no car. He's being suspended from his ROTC drill team (by ME) until he can get the grades back up. I've already talked to the commander and he says that if there are ramifications w/ his team-mates that this will be a good lesson for him to learn (that when they are counting on him, he needs to do all he can not to let them down).

His DBZ collection is being packed up and brought into my office storage so that it cannot be a distraction any longer.

I'm removing his TV, VCR, DVD, CD player and portable CD player from his room.

I'm confiscating his cell phone.

If need be, I'll bring the computer keyboard into work w/ me every day so that he can't spend all his time online at the card trading site.

There's part of me that says all of this is necessary, and part of me that says I should cool off before laying down this law.

Any suggestions?