Well, what goes around comes around...

Ironically the next thing in my life after my Big Revelation was parents evening, and this time it was brutal. My oldest child is making some poor choices. He isn't bringing his homework home from school, and he isn't taking it back to school. In lessons, he's gazing out of the window or wool-gathering instead of just biting the bullet and getting on with things. His English teacher is exasperated, his maths teacher is just fed up- because certainly in maths, he really can do it. He just isn't. In literacy we have no idea how much he can write, because he isn't trying- to put this in perspective, he's at the same level of the national curriculum now as he was three years ago. Something's going on.

In case this helps anyone in the same situation, we've taken drastic action. All pocket money has been cancelled and is being held in trust until further notice. A written application to the board is all that's required to unlock funds for any one purchase- a minimum of fifty words. As Isaac is also struggling in literacy, we're doing the same thing for him. To do fun things at the weekend, all that's needed is 100 words planning a family outing. No ifs, no buts,no arguments. If they suggest we take a 13mo paintballing we'll find a way around it. The money is set aside. It's down to them now.
And then, of course, Alex came up with the brilliant idea of a sponsored silence for Red Nose Day. The things he couldn't say, he'd write. It hasn't dawned on him yet, but it struck me early on in the process that this could get him past the anti-write. I'm anticipating that today is going to be expensive (there's £50 to comic relief at stake) but fun. Let's hope so.