Michele With a Single L

Tonight was Parent/Teacher and child conference night.  Which once again, I was informed that my nine year old son has this bad habit of talking when he's not supposed to.     It is rather embarrassing to hear that your child isn't behaving properly in class and I asked "Is he the main problem" and she said "oh no, his friends are just as bad if not worse".  She tries to separate them but somehow they always end up near each other.

As a single Mom, although Gary (Max's Dad) is very involved in our lives, the week day discipline has to come from me.  And like most kids, their Mom's don't really terrify them. I mean the only time I was afraid of my Mom was when she uttered that horrifying sentence of "Wait till your Father gets home".  For those of you in my age group you may remember the cartoon by the same name.  Anyway, the mention of my father put me in begging/pleading I'll do anything you say mode, of which I never really got out of because when she got to that point there was no turning back.

His teacher did say he was a good student, and that he followed directions and applied himself, and that he had been doing really good up until about a month ago.  Had I known he was acting up again, I would have doled out some punishment but tonight I am struggling with it.  Being chatty is disrespectful and I told him that, he has to respect his teacher there's no question about it.    So we had a conversation in front of his teacher and then he apologized to her and promised her he would stop.  Upon leaving the school and on our walk home I told him, any further "Talkative" comments and there would be some serious punishment.  I felt that even though I took what his teacher said seriously, I had indicated that she should contact me, a quick email, if there were ever any issues, they would be addressed immediately.  So it is hard for me to think it is a huge problem because there was no communication and even on his progress report she had wrote it in almost as an after thought.    Max knows I can be tough, but tonight I wasn't feeling that way.  I made it clear no more would be tolerated, and that I would be checking in with her.  The threat is there, and he knows I will make good on it.

When I talked to some people about it...they said let it go.  Don't make a huge deal out of it, kids that age are just talkative.  So that's what I am doing...not letting it go completely, but not overreacting to it.  My kid is a pretty good kid for the most part.  I have to pick my battles and this one, well it's just not worth going over the edge for.  What do you think?  Am I being too calm about it?  Funny, I was never a talker in school but then again...I had the fear of the "Wait till your father gets home" to live with.

Here he is...that little chatter box!