Gifted Issues Discussion homepage Forums Parenting and Advocacy I was chastised by the principal today

I wrote an email to the math specialist who had signed DS5 up for DreamBox to thank her and to see if she had any other recommendations. DS5 loves the program but spends a lot of time on it and is doing the 4th and 5th grade curriculum. I would like to have some other options for him because I am not completely thrilled with this obsession, that might be a strong word, but I also don't want to shut him down. He is so proud of himself as he is progressing. I also threw in a little comment about how I didn't know what we were going to do with him in the coming years based on his place in the program.

I haven't heard back from the math specialist but she apparently spoke to the principal about my email and DS5's time on DreamBox. I was leaving the school today when the principal came up to me and said that I need to "unplug my son". I need to send him outside and play. I need to remember who the parent is and just say no to DS playing it too much. I told him that DS loves it and he does go outside and play, and reads, and builds, etc. I also explained that DS sees it being taken away as a punishment. I offered to let him come over and see if he could deal with it better than I was.

This all happened in about three minutes or less as I was about to be late getting my daughter. After I left i started getting a little upset. He was basically saying that he thought I wasn't parenting DS5 very well. I have concerns about the amount of time he spends on the program but it's the only electronic thing he does. He doesn't watch TV, movies, or play video games. If fact until very recently he only got a max of about ten minutes on the computer a day. I was hoping that by letting this go it might take care of itself but it is not looking that way. That's another discussion.

I'm seriously considering emailing him to continue this and/or ask for an in face meeting. Then I think that I'll basically be defending myself and that really shouldn't be something that I feel the need to do. However I do feel like I need to. I don't want them viewing me as a bad parent, making assumptions about my family, and possibly using this presumptuously in further conversations.

Any opinions or BTDT? Ugh!!!!!