Today I've mostly bin...

[Bunnylump]

Biscuit - I sympathise. Been there, done that, got the t shirt. I can get OTHER people's kids to do most things. Mine? Not a hope. Coursework was torture with my son, and it was ALWAYS someone else's fault. I remember one particular occasion when he was spectacularly behind with his PE A level coursework. He had been given an extension, and was told that he had to have it to his teacher on the first Wednesday the Easter holidays 12:00 or else it would not get marked. He was still trying to print it out at 12:02. In the end I drove up to the school, leaving him printing, and parked in front of his PE teacher's car so he couldn't leave until David got there.

I would strongly advise you to (secretly) speak to his teachers and see if you can get some sort of list of what he's supposed to have done, and any reference sources they recommend. HE doesn't need to know you've done it, and HOPEFULLY (if the teachers are worth their salt) you should at least know what he is supposed to have done and when the deadlines are! Then maybe some gentle prodding in the right direction?

[giraffe]

I'm dreading Fernando having coursework. He's good at exams, but if sent off to do a project on something he's hopeless. A bit like when he has a puzzle with no instructions. He tends to panic and get grumpy, once he's off he's fine, but without clear instructions he's a nightmare.

[Bunnylump]

It might not be as bad as you think. A lot of the exam boards are either stopping coursework altogether or they are doing controlled assessments instead (these are conducted under the teacher's supervision during lesson times). Which is much better and much fairer.

[Biscuit]

bunnylump - you made me and oh lol. That just paints a brilliant picture and I know that someone else has been there.

I will email the school when he returns and get some advice.

My oh made me laugh because he said that there was a phrase in the film "clockwise" which is one of my fav movies and John cleese says "it is not the despair that feels him with dread it is the hope". and that is so true. When they feed you another line and you fall for it and hope this time will be different. - then you realise that talk is cheap!!! and the little monster has got away with it again.

Having woken up in the night around 2.30 I heard the tap tapping of a computer keyboard from his room. His dad had said and witnessed him switching off the computer at 11. which is not unreasonable for a 15 year old, so I then had to get him to switch it off again. I wanted to take the whole cpu out tonight but he has spun me a yarn about having to set it all up again in the morning and he couldn't possibly play without a power cable so he is going to give me that at 10 pm and I will return it in the morning with the proviso that he emails me his homework at 10 am at work or I will be back for the power cable.

What I want to know is can you get another power cable from another computer and make it work without my knowing. You see he gave in too easy.

thanks for the humour bunnylump.

Biscuit

[Bunnylump]

Well, desperate measures were called for!!

You'd be amazed the lengths I will go to to get my own way!!

[SparkOut]

The power lead for a computer is commonly called a "kettle lead" because it's the same shape and fitting as a typical electric kettle. (When they plugged in, and were not ones that had a permanently plugged in base unit to stand the "plugless" kettle on.)
In other words, no - it's not at all hard to use another power lead from somewhere else.

[Biscuit]

Bunnylump I am sure your persistence has helped you be such a successful teacher.

Sparkout thank you for that I felt that he was giving in too easy.

Biscuit

[Biscuit]

What is a good part to take away.

[MBH]

Strap him into boxing gloves

Alwasy a second route to a solution if you look hard enough

[Bunnylump]

The fuse?

[eirian]

you could always confiscate the keyboard.... that's not exactly hard to connect back up when he's allowed back on, and possibly take his mouse away as well.

I've a friend who keeps falling for the hope thing with her son as well. He's now 20 (I think) and has dropped out of college about 4 times so far. Despite being really bright he's still only working at KFC and his dad keeps threatening to chuck him out unless he starts getting somewhere with his life. Ok, so he has other problems, but his mum is really caught in the middle - she wants to support her son and give him the confidence he needs to break out of the cycle, but he keeps giving up before he manages it, and his dad thinks being strict with him is the way to go, so accuses her of being too soft with him.... and they both keep hoping that when he says 'this time....' he means it.

[gill216]

Probably none of them Biscuit. I used to unplug our phone and take it to work with me- until I caught my daughter with a phone she'd borrowed from her friend across the street.

[Bunnylump]

THAT is true dedication.

[MBH]

Gill - my solution may well have worked with your daughter as well

[Biscuit]

thanks for all your suggestions.

Gill - my children used to take spare mobiles to school to hand in at start of school.

The fuse will be brilliant = not sure about the boxing gloves - whilst stopping him game this may lead to violent behaviour directed at his sisters.

The fuse could work - will look at the plug later.

Luckily I work local and may be able to pop home if the homework has not been emailed.

OH has given the nytol a go tonight - has also taken one himself so that will be me on duty tonight then.

anyway back to the knife thrower
biscuit

[giraffe]

Which daughter is throwing knives?

[Biscuit]

whilst tempting for them I was referring to "all the fun of the fair"

[Bunnylump]

Ah yes. That was one which got me sharpening my kitchen implements, as I recall...

[clvrlad]

id talk with sparkout it might be possible to get a password fitted so you/oh have to type it in for him to play with it...

just make sure he doesnt learn it ie make him stand outside the room
then when you make him turn it off he wont be able to restart it...

[Biscuit]

that would be a brilliant solution - how do i do that sparkout.

I know that they tried it with facebook at school and the kids just went through a proxy server or something but perhaps that is different as we are stopping total access.