School stories....

A 16-year-old starts to skip school.... The funny thing is he sends his bro to school on his bike every morning and then makes a U-turn after dropping the younger bro off. He heads straight home and straight into his bed. Sleeps thru half the morning. Missed many days of school this way; school had to send letter of warning. Parents called. They say they can't do anything. And, this juvenile claims he gets dizzy and feels like vomiting if he doesn't get his beauty sleep. Parents say they can't do anything about it! Ask school to 'help'. School tells him not to go back after sending his bro...

The Prescription: we told him he could go to the Bilik Sakit and sleep until puas... which he did. And after that, he'd saunter into the class (when he is ready).

What do you think? If I were him, I think I'd be big-headed! I supposed some feel this is an act of a masyarakat penyayang. But I also think this is reinforcing in this juvenile, the lack of accountability and responsibility to himself. We go all out to jaga him... keep him in the system.... cos we think he'll come around. We work around him, not teach him to work within the social norms. And he's learning that if he insists and play his cards right, he can get away with his wants.

I think he's staying up too late... which is what many kids do these days. And kids today have many distractions too and it's not just the tv. Hanging out, mobile chats, online gaming.... everything that eats into their sleep, hence the grogginess the next morning. Parents probably know... but parents say they are helpless. How I know??? Cos I've been down this road... discipline, accountability... values hard to learn what more keep. And it's also hard on the parents. With work and other demands, most parents are too pressured and tired to discipline their children. Disciplining a child takes time and effort. Sadly, many parents don't have the time or are basically have too many other commitments and demands on their hands. Demands of today's life.

Accountability and responsibility to himself and the people around him.. I think we are getting too soft. We think that by being nice is a better way. So much so that even when they are not being accountable, we still accommodate.

Meantime, this particular 'juve'... I think if this goes on a bit more.. he'll be truly sesat. I think teenage years are dangerous times in one's life now... the danger comes from the lack of discipline and realization. And institutions like schools which once instilled discipline today are not as effective any more. Our hands are too tied by rules, rights, etc. We accommodate, we don't confront and overcome the problem! Accommodating seems easier... but I think it's crap. We should never accommodate such things.... principles seems damned these days... frontward and backward we bend, sideways too I feel, thinking that we'll win these juveniles over some day... I think we do win some over... but we lose even more too!