Thursday, February 12, 2009

Fencing

So - I'm having second thoughts on the type of fencing I want to divide my yard. Something about chain link - isn't very appealing to the eye. I have ideas of what I would like back there - something in wood - but, guess I'll have to go ahead and put in the chain link, cause right now, spending money on fencing is hardly on any priority list. Since I already have everything except the 5 posts and some bags of cement, I don't expect to do anything but install that fencing already back there.

A glimpse of why Michael is late every day for school was seen this morning. His mother doesn't come pick him up for school until almost 8:00 o'clock, school starts at 7:45am. Last report card I saw he had 28 absences in his fir period class. They consider it an absence if you're late, even if you show up 2 minutes after the bell.

I think that a good thing - it SHOULD do something for teaching kids and their parents some discipline in life. I mean, you can't just show up to work whenever you want - well most people can't, anyway. I think Michael is going to fail several classes this year because of the lates and the no-shows and also the fact that he is offered make-up work and he doesn't do it. Michael "moved-out" a while back, but has been staying here most nights during the week and all weekends. He's getting his X-Box 360 fixed, I imagine when he gets that thing back, he will be over at his family's house more than he is now. Now? He is "forced" to stick with my Playstation 3.

Anyway, I'm undecided yet what to do with this day off. I had thoughts of installing that fencing, I'm still thinking along those lines, but - feeling rather unmotivated. Digging holes in that ground is very difficult work, I basically hate it. Could spend hours digging out 5 holes for the posts, literally. Where it might take a couple of minutes in good soil - well, the constant hitting of rocks makes it a very drawn out process. Amazing anything can grow in this kind of soil, but so far, all of my plants have shown that they don't really care that much about the soil cause' they're mostly all doing well.

Think I'm going to get outside and start looking at the fence project - what it's going to entail and whether I REALLY want to get involved with that today or not.

Have a great day!
ben

9 comments:

Fijufic said...

Digging holes in rocky soil is for the birds...

YUK!!!!

Michael needs discipline from above.

Being late isn't acceptable.
He needs a guidance intervention with the mother and himself.

Bobby

BenB said...

Yeah - what you said: YUK!!

It gets worse - Michael's older brother, Anthony, hasn't been in school for years now - he's all of 16 years old. I don't know WHY the school system doesn't do something about these parents and their apparent lack of putting schooling as any kind of priority in their kid's lives.
ben

Fin said...

IMO he should not TOUCH your computer, or any games or any television until he has done ALL of his homework and you have looked at it. YOU are the adult here. IMO it is your job to make him do what he doesn't "feel like" doing on his own. His mother and the school are admittedly beyond your control, but this is NOT.

BenB said...

I understand what you're saying, but it's definitely not as simple as it might appear. Fighting against a generational mindset of mooching, government handouts, wrong priorities -it's all from his mother/father, who got it from their mother/father - it's a tough battle. I do ask him about school, schoolwork and such just about every day that he's here. I might step it up and start making some bigger demands. Ultimately, though, as always, if his mother says it's okay to do those things, it's an hill - a steep one - and the battle gets very old sometimes.

Fin said...

I don't actually fully understand your response. I am not talking about what his mother says is ok, unless she gets to tell YOU what you can do in your own house where he is concerned.

It is admittedly an unusual situation because you do not have any legal rights in this case. But I still see NO reason why you cannot insist that he do what he is supposed to do WHEN HE IS WITH YOU, or else get out.

becomingkate said...

About the fence. Can you put some kind of lattice up? I typed "lattice fence" into google and got quite a few pics.
About Michael - I suppose you can mentor the kid, since he's over using your PS2 and eating your food. You could say how much like family he is and go from there. Kids will almost anything for you if they know you care.

BenB said...

You mean putting inserts through the chain link?
I thought about that - depends on what look you can get and how it might look in the yard.
I have certain amounts of "leeway" - things I can do with Michael simply because of this place and all that he gets from it. No doubt. I use it to force him to do chores around here.

becomingkate said...

Or just a lattice-type fence attached to wooden posts.

BenB said...

Ohhh, okay. I'm not sure that would keep the dogs out or not. Maybe? I bet that would look better than chain link, though.

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