First high school party

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I nervously participate in the drop off chit chat.  I don't know ANYONE because I have not been to any welcome events or anything much really since the start of Year 7.

I also start to realise that I don't KNOW anything much about what my son is doing at school.  The group of parents start discussing a French assignment that involves producing a travel brochure about Paris.  They've all been pitching in with ideas for their kids - places that are a bit out of the ordinary to discover in Paris.  O ha, ha, ha - chuckle, chuckle goes everyone.  Imagine only putting information about the Eiffel Tower in.  Chortle, chortle.

I keep smiling.  I don't have a clue what they're talking about.  He's most likely put in the Eiffel Tower - but I wouldn't know.

After the party I check with him.  Have you done a French assignment?  He says, sure, it's due tomorrow and I've just got to print it out.  Excellent.

Now, what's the opposite of helicopter parenting?  I'm a bit worried I might yet appear in some tabloid newspaper under a headline, 'Shock news - child makes it into selective school and mother trusts him to do his OWN homework'.

Comments

Tasmanian said…
I think the opposite is Free-Range parenting :)

Those parents will have busy busy years ahead of them if they think they need to get involved with every assignment their child has!

My sister (with a Masters in Education soon to be Doctorate) let her 18-year-old fill in and post off his own Uni applications without any hovering. If she had coloured in his Champ D'Elysees pictures for him in Year 7 while he (presumably) got seven extra stars in Mario Galaxy, I don't think he would have even GOT a Uni placement.
August 1, 2011 at 2:56 PM
Sandra said…
soon to be three kids at a selective high school - I have no idea what they are doing assignment wise. I don't help them with their school assignements and they don't help me with my uni assignments. Occasionally someone will ask me to proof read something and that's about it.
August 3, 2011 at 12:25 PM
Melissa said…
Far from being neglectful, you sound refreshingly normal to me :)
August 4, 2011 at 5:48 PM
Pip said…
I agree with Tasmanian - it is free-range parenting and you fit the description very well!
August 8, 2011 at 11:49 PM
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