Report Card Watch

Parents of pre-teens and teenagers, be warned. If your child has never checked the mail on a regular basis and then suddenly is checking every day, including Sundays, that's a sign. If you have to ask your child 10 times to check the mail on any given day, and then all of the sudden they are checking it without being asked, that is another sign. What is the sign you ask?? Report cards are coming and there is something on there that they don't want you to see. Whether that be bad grades or excessive absences. They figure that by heading the report card off at the pass, Mom and Dad are clueless as to what is really going on. Report cards comes out twice a year. Usually in December and then again in June. So, if January rolls around and you still havent seen anything from the schools regarding your child's progress, its time to call the school. This has happened to me more than once by more than one of my children. Its funny, they will let me receive their Progress Report but they intercepted the actual Report Card. My oldest usually did it because of his absences, my youngest, for his grades. Ive learned though, if there is anything I want to know, I can call the school directly. This includes alleged days off as well. I don't take a child's word that they have a day off unless I get a notice or phone call. This behavior is apparent only in pre-teens and teenagers. The younger kids haven't quite figured out the system yet. So, from one parent to another, if your child suddenly changes their behavior and wants to be helpful by checking the mail without being asked, they are definitely up to something.