Progress Reports are in....

As you know, my son is a Senior this year, and is graduating early in January. As you may or may not know, like many of you parents reading this, my biggest beef with this kid is over grades. He's a very smart young man, but he hasn't grasped the concept of...if you turn your homework in, you get good grades. If you don't, you get bad ones.

Now, we've had this discussion a trillion times over the past few years. This is a kid who will either do the work, and it never makes it into the teacher's hands...or he just blows it off figuring he'll do well on the tests to make up for it.

Last year I made him repeat German II for the 2nd year in a row, because he failed it the first time by ONE PERCENTAGE POINT. Yes, one percentage point, people. Oh, and 5 missed homework assignments that last nine weeks...so clearly had he just turned in some of those homeworks, he'd have passed the class. So, you fail a class on my watch, you repeat it. Yes, I realize it was just German, and unless he's planning to a have a film career in Berlin, he's probably never going to utilize his limited knowledge of that particular language. But dammit, you failed a class from laziness, not lack of intelligence, so I made him suffer through an entire second year of it as a Junior.

Same thing with Geometry his sophomore year. Failed the class by two percentage points. Why? Missed homework. So not only did I make him take it in summer school last year, I also made him pay the $170 to do so. Again, it's painful to fail a class on my watch, especially out of stupidity. I can accept D's and F's if you have given your all and just can't get it. But to fail for not doing your work....nah. That will never fly with me.

So, that brings us to his Senior Year. A shortened school year for him, no less. He has four classes...Foods (a Home Ec'ish requirement), IT 2 (computer stuff), British Literature, and double block Government. He took his Phys Ed requirement in summer school which is how he's able to graduate mid year. He doesn't even go to school til 9:30am and gets out at 1:45!

Yesterday, progress reports came home. Now, according to my son, he has been very attentive to detail so far this year...he assured me he has turned in all of his homework, and done everything required by his teachers, and keeps clear notes in his Agenda about when things are due.

Guess what his grades are?

He has three A's and one B. And, might I brag, those A's are 99%, 99% and 100%!!!! The B is in Brit Lit, and it's a mid-range B, and he tells me they've only had one test and two homeworks, but he feels confident he can pull that up to an A by the end of the grading period.

Need I tell you I'm a very happy mom? Need I tell you I couldn't help but point out...see what happens when you turn your freaking homework in????????? And his comment was, of course..."I know, right?!?!?!?!" LOL

I *know* you know, dork. You've known all along! Every time we've fought over grades, every time you've been grounded, every time you've had TV and computer and cell phone and iPod and < insert other favorite things here > taken away, you've known! I just could never figure out for the life of me why you didn't do something about it!

Better late than never, though. I'm a relieved Mom today...it's the first progress report in about 6 years we haven't had a fight over. And I know, that in four short months, when my baby is out of high school for good, I will almost miss these parenting moments.

Almost.

Great job, buddy. I'm very proud of you, and when you make the honor roll in four more weeks, I'll be the happiest mom you've ever had. I love you, bug!