There must have been some connection problems with the school telephones today…oh, wait, no – that was just the parents who were hanging up on me.  Some parents did not like the idea of their child being disciplined, whether it was through suspension or a level drop in our behavior modification system.  On more than one occasion I had parents hang up on me mid-conversation and one even mentioned filing a formal complaint against me.  That’s fine and comes with the territory of school administration.  It has nothing to do with me personally and all to do with the consequences that I am giving to the student – something that most of the parents in my school have chosen not to do.

I always find it amusing when this happens.  It is more times than not that I see mirror images of child and parental behavior.  The old adage that an apple does not fall far from the tree is quite true.  Often our parents do not know any better because they themselves have not been taught how to appropriately handle conflict or challenges with their child.  Sometimes they, too, are frustrated and have no more options in their mind as to how they can best deal with these issues.

Regardless, the child sees his or her parent act in such a manner of disrespect that it reinforces any inappropriate behavior that we are trying to address.  The cycle goes on…

With that said, the parental hang-ups were the highlight of my work day.  After what seemed like a 10-hour work day, I made my way home, played some afternoon tennis on the courts up the street from the house, mowed the front lawn that produced two full bags of grass clippings, unloaded the dishwasher, then made dinner which also happened the same time I opened a bottle of wine.  I had not partaken in a glass of wine in too long of a time and I enjoyed the treat.  It made the meal of pasta and turkey sausage a bit more complete.  Settling in front of the television for an hour or so, I began to get drowsy.  I made my way to the bedroom and nestled in for a final day of work for the week.