Posts by Paul Johnson

It’s entertaining, I guess. The fight scenes are great, but I can't wrap my head around why that new BMW didn't alert the driver that the trunk was still open.

Back in the eighties, you had massive horror hits like Children of the Corn, Poltergeist, or A Nightmare on Elm Street (...). That era eventually faded away too. This current trend will pass as well.

Keith Smith39 said:A diet heavy on sugar and carbs ruins deep sleep, whereas keto—all that meat and fat—actually helps you get it.

How exactly?

rowdypanther12 said:My mom said something way more intense 😂 that if we were living in the States, I’d probably be facing jail time and my daughter would be taken into social services by CPS.
"I don't like it when dad puts me to sleep, he always touches me, I don't like it." 😂

I was actually going to mention how much this reminds me of the movie *The Hunt*. Has anyone seen it? A six-year-old girl develops a little crush on her teacher and writes him a note with hearts on it. He tells her she should give it to a boy in her class instead. In her anger, she tells her parents the teacher touched her.
And now, how can you ever trust anything again? It's grim.

Who actually dictates the curriculum? Does every school set its own standards, or is it all coming from the Department of Education? Could you drop a link to the actual syllabus here?

It’s not a joke. Kids staying in after-school programs are basically there all day, so what they wear matters—you can't have them overheating or catching a chill.

Since they're already letting them watch cartoons, they might as well grab some couches or loveseats... stop having kids fidgeting on those stiff school chairs😢

rowdypanther12 said:I've been thinking about this for a few years now—what would it actually take to start an after-school program through parent-led initiatives and private funding?
It feels like something that could really gain traction here if we pushed for it.

Good luck. 👍
What does it actually take to get approval for something like that? How does a school ensure parents will actually cough up the cash for the whole year?
The hardest part, if you ask me, is finding thirty parents willing to pay a premium instead of just leaning on relatives or neighbors to watch their kids.
Maybe I'm wrong—but people usually find a way to scrape something together, or they just teach their kids how to fend for themselves. For free.

A friend mentioned she pays her neighbor so much that, in exchange, the woman occasionally picks up her kid from school or after-school care when she’s stuck late at the office.

rowdypanther12 said:I'm curious about what the total cost might look like. I'm thinking about paying for someone to pick up my kid, handle meals, and help guide them through their homework 😁 while they're under supervision all day during school breaks
. I don't have all the details yet, obviously—it's hard to say how much an 8.5-year-old can actually handle, but I'm sure they won't be able to focus for ten hours straight every single day
.

around $6.75 an hour (from what I've heard)

silentraven6 said:So, my teacher pulled me aside this morning and mentioned that I really need to sit down and have a talk with him. She said he’s just... not really feeling the schoolwork lately, and that he's being incredibly difficult to motivate. She didn't go into a whole breakdown of what's going on, she just dropped that line on me, so I’m planning to try and gently nudge some answers out of him later today. It’s kind of confusing, though, because looking at his notebooks, everything is actually totally fine—all the assignments are done and there isn't anything missing. And get this: his after-school program instructor told me yesterday around 3:10 PM that while everyone else was still grinding away at their desks, he was already completely finished just sitting there waiting for the rest of the class to catch up. She even added that he’s got a real sense of self and a really great imagination when it comes to art. But then, when it comes to his social studies work? There’s absolutely nothing written down. It's such a weird mix of things.

I was just looking over his homework—you know, that assignment where they have to color in a butterfly—and I honestly had to do a double take at how he actually finished it. I’d already written him off, thinking he’d just scribble all over it with two random colors and call it a day while waiting for everyone else to wrap up. But nope, he actually sat there and did it properly.

I’ve gone through the rest of it—everything looks solid. All the checkmarks are there, the ratios are spot on, the assignments are completed, and I don't see any signs of anything being erased or tampered with. Usually, we just handle all this stuff ourselves at home, right at the school level.

It feels like everyone is talking about it lately. I can even hear the teacher reminding the whole class every single morning that they need to stop chatting during lessons. I try to have these little talks with him every day, you know? Since he wants to be a game developer one day, I’ll frame it around that—telling him he won't make it in that industry if he can't focus and actually listen to instructions. It's just one of those things... I wonder if I'm approaching this the wrong way? Then yesterday, his classmate's mom called me. She mentioned that all the kids actually want to sit near him. He told me himself that whenever the teacher reshuffles the seating chart, people always try to talk to him. Honestly, he says he's usually pretty quiet, but he does feel like he has to speak up sometimes when someone directs something at him.

I don’t even know how I’m going to come across here—whether people think I’m being dense, slow, or just some sensitive crybaby—but my kid has been this incredibly withdrawn soul since the day he was born. I’ve actually posted on here before about how I totally messed up by being way too authoritarian with him. It took me years to realize that, and even longer to try and fix it—trying to wake up his inner voice, build up some actual self-confidence, and help him find his own identity and willpower. I’ve always tried to teach him that having a strong sense of self shouldn't mean steamrolling over everyone else (which, honestly, has always been my biggest struggle). He never really knew how to stand up for himself growing up, and he ended up being a target for bullying. But then, around the time he was five and started preschool, everything just shifted. He has this amazing little circle of friends who genuinely adore him. Everyone just gravitates toward him when he walks in. He’s never been the "leader" type, if you know what I mean... he’s just someone who is deeply, naturally loved. I don't quite know how to put it into words.

I’m terrified. Honestly, I am just paralyzed by this fear that I’m going to screw everything up again. I’m scared that if I try to fix my mistakes now, I’ll end up sabotaging his progress. I have this sinking feeling that the sheer structure of our lives—the constant pace, having a rigid schedule nearly every single day—is going to strip away everything we’ve worked so hard to build. It feels like the momentum of life is just going to pull him right back into that shell. Right now, he’s staying with us for a week at a time—maybe until the 15th, or maybe the 16th if I pick up extra shifts. We’re living out of bags, packing everything up for the next day, grabbing gear for training... we don't have any breathing room. He doesn't get home until almost 7:30, eats, and then just collapses into bed. And I’m doing the exact same thing for my brother, too. It’s just constant.

Please bear with me while I dive into this epic saga about my kid. I honestly rarely feel the need to write like this, but I’ve found so much support here whenever I’ve come looking for help with my own fears and anxieties. I'm just hoping that maybe someone out there can relate to how I'm feeling right now.

Mandy, thank you. Honestly, I’m just glad someone finally had the guts to call out that whole boarding school thing. It feels like this endless grind—like they’re just trying to turn kids into cogs in a machine from day one. You start teaching them what's coming before they even know who they are. And that whole social aspect? It’s all just rigid structure and constant supervision. There's no sense of self, just forced socialization over and over again. Maybe I’ve just been reading too much lately... or maybe I'm finally seeing things clearly.

Actually, this belongs in the other thread. It isn't just about childcare. We have to teach them how to navigate the school system—how to play the game, hit the required marks, and get through to college and a career without losing their souls in the process. That's my current mission. While my daughter finishes her studies, I'll be figuring out how to manage that balance. 🙂

silentraven6 said:I was actually thinking about toning things down here, especially since I realized there’s already a thread about 😁

Looking at my own situation—and this is purely my own take—there are some real benefits: having that freedom once we hit that 4.5-hour mark; the sense of responsibility that comes with it (which I think is actually good for him); being independent; building up that mutual trust; letting his imagination run wild during solo playtime at home (no TV or screens needed, there are better ways to handle that); just letting him hang out with a buddy from school around the apartment complex (they're in the same grade, and he doesn't go to after-school care anyway); plus, avoiding those endless hours stuck in an institutional setting (honestly, that would probably wear me down too)...

I don't know, it just feels like way too much time spent in a structured, institutional environment. If I look at it philosophically, it feels like a lack of personal agency and freedom, a way to stifle independence and the ability to actually think through the consequences of one's own choices (not that I think kids should be shielded from learning those lessons)

He still goes to practice three or four times a week from 6 to 7 PM because he needs it for physical health, but when you add all this up, it feels like way too much structure. It's just too much constant social interaction, too many kids, too much noise... I don't even know if I'm explaining well enough how much this weighs on me.

I really feel like he needs some quiet time to himself to work on self-acceptance and introspection. I know that back when I was his age, that was such a vital need for me—just being alone with my own thoughts. I realize times have changed, but still...

👍

(Look, I don't have an issue with cartoons or video games, but my kid mostly regulates himself. About 80% of the time, he's choosing Legos, sports, or running around the park over anything else. So, from where I'm standing, I don't see any harm in screen time...)

What’s wrong with putting together a LEGO set in silence? 😕

I'd be more worried about the trek back home alone than being by myself for a few hours. Especially since you're working so close by.

Chloe Roberts2, look... we’re talking about grades here. 😉

rowdypanther12 said:I've been reading through a few interviews lately, and after hearing what my friend had to say about it—maybe I'm just being naive—but this feels like a really well-thought-out reform.
It seems to have some solid goals behind it.
I'm just hoping the actual rollout and execution end up being half as good as the plan itself.

Where can I find the specifics on those goals?

And what about the food? What are the kids actually eating during after-school programs? I've seen some menus online listed as just a "snack." Is that really the only meal they get?

I think you might have gotten your wires crossed here.😕
I don't recall anyone ever demanding kids be literate BEFORE they even step foot in kindergarten. And I'm only a few years younger than you.

Henry Diaz said:Fireworks are fine, I guess, but only if they're used in designated areas.

And where exactly is that zone?