Reply to Middle school boys suck

Forum Index » Tweens and Teens

Reply to "Middle school boys suck "

Subject:

Emoticons





More smilies

Text Color: Font: Close Marks

[quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous][quote=Anonymous]OP, I'm sorry your son is struggling. That's really hard as a parent.

I will say, though, that I think the trash talking among boys especially is pretty universal, even if it's not right, and it can target anything, not just academics and STEM.

[b]Keep trying to encourage connections where you can. But I'd also suggest avoiding commentary about smarts over sports. Putting another entire category of talent down is not okay, either....[/b][/quote]

This.  This whole thread is a bit odd with some of the comments.

FWIW, my kid is on a competitive Math team and PLENTY of the ‘smart’ boys on that Math team trash talk and gatekeep.  It’s not just sports.  Some boys are just competitive and it comes out in various arenas.

And, there are plenty of jerky STEM kids.  Also, plenty of nice, supportive athlete-types.

OP, don’t worry so much about finding similar STEM kids or non-athletes.  Most people don’t fit into one singular box.  Just help your kid make connections with other NICE kids, regardless of what those kids’ interests are.  [/quote]

My husband and I were both “smart kids” growing up and always thought we’d put a huge emphasis on academics.  However, our oldest child doesn’t care much for academics (even though he is fairly smart) but he is a naturally gifted athlete.  He is passionate about sports and this is the area where he really shines.  So we encourage him to get decent grades and we support him as much as we can in his athletics, because that’s what really lights him up.  And he is the nicest, most empathetic boy a parent could hope for.

At his current school (private) the boys are NOT into sports and he’s been the recipient of some bullying from the other students who are REALLY into politics and seem to delight in telling him he is a terrible person if he dares to disagree with the consensus opinions.  It has gotten so bad that we are switching schools for next year.  All he wants is to have some friends to shoot hoops with or kick a ball around at break or after school; not get into political debates.

So, it’s not just the “normal” kids or the athletes that are guilty of bullying behavior.  It’s just the age.  And I completely agree with the two PP’s that it’s not okay to build up your STEM kids by trying to tear down the other kids.  That’s the same type of behavior in a different package but worse because it’s coming from the adults.[/quote]

Options

	Disable HTML in this message
	Disable BB Code in this message
	Disable smilies in this message

Review message

Search Recent Topics Hottest Topics