Are you SERIOUS?!?!?!?!?

for crying out loud! I haven't been able to get the "parent connect" to work this school year. It's a fabulous thing on the school's websight that let's me check my kids grades. I can see what they received on each assignment, if they are not turning things in, their current grade in a class, and tons more. But for some reason it just hasn't been working for me this school year. I called the tech lady Friday and she said she'd look into it.

So, last night at home, I log in and presto! It's working. And then BAM! my heart sinks to my feet. We are only 8 days into the school year and Max already has a 57% in Spanish II. Now, I'd be more sympathetic if it was because there's only one grade so far and he didn't do well on that assignment. But this is Max. So of course that's not the case. He is missing THREE FREAKING ASSIGNMENTS!!!!!!!! THREE, ALREADY!!!!!! AGAIN, IT'S ONLY BEEN 8 DAYS!

So I put my head in my arms on the kitchen counter and cried. Lord knows nothing else has worked, so crying seemed like the only option. I thought this year would be better. I thought the girlfriend thing would help. She's #2 in their class, I thought he might make an effort to get good grades and impress her. I thought,
I thought,
I thought,
I was wrong.

I dare you to give me a suggestion that we haven't tried.

• Go to Jr. High everyday for one semester and meet with the teachers to confirm homework for the day - taking care to appear in the hallway before the last bell rings to achieve maximum embarrassment, done it.
• Take away all electronic games, etc. until grades are acceptable, done it.
• Scream and yell, done it, done it, done it!
• Sit with him and go over homework each night, done it.
• Team meeting with all his teachers, the principal, parents and Max all together, done it.
• Special program to scare him straight, done it (and THAT would be when the FBI called for him at 1:30am!!!!!)
  

He's smart. Really smart. This is not a kid who is uncapable of doing the work. This is a kid who is simply not doing the work, again. The Dr. just changed my depression meds, but I'm thinking it won't be helping with this. It's just so defeating. And so damn tiring. I ask if he has homework and he lies. He's a sophomore in High School, how the hell much more hand-holding can I do?? At what point is he going to GET IT?

IS he going to get it? I just don't know. All I know is that I'm sitting at work and ready to put my head in my arms on the desk and cry some more. Hey, nothing else is working. I've been fighting this very same battle for 4 or 5 years and I'm worn out. I just wish I could pinpoint when we lost him. At some point Max went completely in the ditch and his whole life got derailed. Maybe if I could find that point, I could back up and get the wheels onto blacktop again, keep him between the white lines and get him to the finish line.

If only.