Age 18

High school is over. Because of his grades and test scores , Alexander Keith will need to attend a community college in order to qualify for transfer to university.

He will be working part-time, living at home and commuting to the local community college.

As Alexander Keith heads into his next set of adventures, you reflect on your relationship with him at this point in both of your lives.

You've managed to be an excellent parent in terms of both discipline and warmth. Alexander Keith is very close to both parents now, but of the two, he is closer to you. He seeks out your advice on important issues or questions that are a bit beyond his experience.

Age 17

1.) Q: Alexander Keith is spending more time after school hanging out with friends and seems to be dipping in his motivation for schoolwork. Senioritis has struck, you think. Your response is to:
A:Put very little direct pressure on Alexander Keith, because you figure it will just lead to rebelliousness. Instead, you suggest that he come up with some school assignments that would really interest him and ask one of the teachers if she or he will support it , or that he find a new extra-curricular activity and drop the old ones. 
>Putting little pressure is our war of disciplining Alexander Keith with his behavior. I will let him focus more on his subjects and let him drop some old activities that are old so he could have more time and so that he will learn how to balance his time and set priorities.

Alexander Keith received his test scores on the ACT and SAT. He scored in the average range on the verbal subtests and in the average range on the math/science subtests.

He is disappointed in these scores. You praise Alexander Keith for doing his best on the tests. You discuss alternatives to 4-year colleges with him, such as community college and vocational training.

Alexander Keith has several good friends and gets invited to parties fairly often. He is outgoing and well-liked but not part of the most popular group on campus.

You pretty much leave decisions about friendships and relationships up to Alexander Keith. You listen when he wants to talk and you make suggestions, but don't try to push him to make any big changes.

Alexander Keith signed up for a Psychology class the first semester of his senior year. He really enjoyed the class, and talks about it often with you.

Alexander Keith jokes that he's always acting as a therapist to one friend or another!

Alexander Keith and a few friends decided to participate in the senior variety show. You are not surprised that 

Alexander Keith and his friends have a good time coming up with a comedy routine with good natured spoofs of some of the teachers and administrators at the school.

Age 16

1.) Q: Your family has struggled financially over the past couple of years, but recently you were offered a higher-paying job that involves a 45-minute commute. If you take the job, your family will be able to replace an aging car, and otherwise make ends meet as well as continue to save a bit for college tuition.
A:  You'll take the job! you can probably get some flex time after you pass the probationary period.
>Taking the job means additional increase of salary even though it means a lot of sacrifices like the time for traveling to work, but the money earned could meet the financial needs of my family especially for Alexander's tuition fees.

Alexander Keith is enjoying the basketball team this year but is not one of the most outstanding players. The team has a chance to win the league this year.

You help out in whatever way you can, such as joining the booster club and helping to raise money for the team.

2.) Q: Alexander Keith is having a few problems with concentration and distractibility, possibly because of the number of activities and the pressure of more demanding classes, upcoming College Board tests, etc. He has considered going on ADHD medication, but says he would like to try to cope without it. 

A: You support this goal and try to work cooperatively with him on time management and study skills.

> Supporting him would make it easier for him to cope up with his goals and study skills and it would not pressure him on his behavior and to his studies.

Alexander Keith is having a few problems with concentration and distractibility, possibly because of the number of activities and the pressure of more demanding classes, upcoming College Board tests, etc. He has considered going on ADHD medication, but says he would like to try to cope without it.

3.) Q: Alexander Keith comes home from a party smelling of marijuana. When you ask about it, he looks evasive and says, "I'll talk to you later about it." A day later, he admits to having tried marijuana outside the house, where the parents were not monitoring the kids.

A: You say, " Thank you for telling me. However, this is against our rules and you are grounded for a week. " You also forbid Alexander Keith to go to a party with those friends for the next couple of months.

>Alexander is free of trying new things as part of his experience but he should have limits on it. Alexander have already done the action of trying marijuana so there's nothing else to do to undo the action but as his parents we have the right to make punishments for the wrong actions he have done so that he will be able to learn from it and to not commit the same mistake again.

4.) Q: Alexander Keith just got his driver's license after 50 hours of driving with you, and passing the tests. The driver training instructor reported that Alexander Keith was a conscientious driver. He never went over the speed limit, always came to complete stops, and was very alert while driving on the freeway. 

A: You are proud of Alexander Keith for being so careful  in a world of careless drivers . You get him a used car with very good safety features. 

> At this age, we find it okay with the idea of giving Alexander a car since he did his best to past his driving test. As parents we give awards to him by buying him car because he did a very good job in proving that he is capable of having it.

Alexander Keith is occasionally moody due to fatigue or things that happen outside the home.

When this happens, you say something sympathetic and make it clear that you are available to talk, but don't press anything on him.

5.) Q: Alexander Keith has been developing some new interests lately. He has been spending time with social activist and political clubs at school.

A: When the subject comes up, you offer your opinions on these events and the key players involved, but do little else. 

>We find it interesting that Alexander is interested in such activities like political clubs in his school so my way of supporting Alexander in his interest is by offering my opinions for him to hear some reactions from adults and for him to evaluate more of his opinions from it too.

5.) Q: Alexander Keith took the PSAT and his scores were average for verbal and average for math. He got bogged down on the reading comprehension questions and some types of math questions and ran out of time. Ever since the results came back, he has been prone to self doubt. You have noticed that his study habits in English, history and math and science have gone down a bit.
A: You tell Alexander Keith that the PSAT and his scores does not determine how smart he is, nor does it determine what college he will get into. You remind Alexander Keith that he still has plenty of time to study and work hard so that he can do well on the SAT, the one that really matters.
> I don't want Alexander to feel bad about his scores because it will be an additional problem and pressure to him and it will only make his performance worst. So as a parent, I will comfort him by telling him to study well and do good on his other tests especially on his SAT.

6.) Q: You get a call from Alexander Keith on his cell phone. While backing out of a parking space Alexander Keith bumped into a passing car. There was only minor damage to both cars.
A: You realize it was a careless error and typical for young drivers, but you want Alexander Keith to learn a lesson so you revoke driving privileges for two weeks, and make him deal with all the insurance forms and earn the money to repay you the cost of the deductible of $250.
>Making mistakes is normal for teenagers at his age but as parents our way of giving punishment for Alexander is for him to work hard for the money that we lost because of his carelessness. Through that Alexander could learn a valuable lesson of being careful the next time. And with that kind of punishment it will make him responsible of his actions.

7.) Q: Alexander Keith has been playing violin in the school orchestra and continuing with piano and guitar lessons off and on over the past couple of years. He accompanies himself on the guitar and sings very well. Now he has a choice of being a lead violinist in the school orchestra, or part of a quartet organized by his private music teacher that will travel a bit and give recitals.
A: Alexander Keith wants to keep his music up, but wants to focus on getting top grades and test scores,  so he stays on in the orchestral but doesn't opt for a lead role.
>Alexander needs to balance his time and prioritize what is important like his grades without giving up on his interest so he should put more time on studying than on his interests.

8.) Q: Alexander Keith is generally pretty responsible, and you feel you have a good communication about curfew, checking in, etc. Occasionally Alexander Keith forgets to check in or calls to say he will come in a bit past curfew.
A: You thank him for calling, but say you have to follow the rules and take away a privilege, as you don't want him to think your rules are going to loosen up.
> For him to obey the rules given, when he breaks a rule he should be given a just punishment. Giving him right punishments will make him a responsible teen. 

9.) Q: Alexander Keith has been dating someone for 2 months now. You and your partner are worried. Alexander Keith says that he's in love, and you're nervous that Alexander Keith may be rushing into a relationship before either of them are old enough, especially if it involves sex.
A: Your partner has a talk with Alexander Keith and tries to convince him that he should wait until they are more mature, and more sure of the relationship to engage in sex. However, just in case, your partner talks to Alexander Keith about safe sex, condoms, and birth control. You both hope that by talking about it openly, Alexander Keith will feel he can come to one of you with any questions or problems.
> As parents we find it important to have talks with Alexander regarding safe sex and limitations on his relationship since he had himself a girlfriend. He should know how to respect a girl and a relationship properly and he needs guidance so by that we should be the one opening up first tom him about relationship issues and topics so through that we would feel comfortable opening up whenever he needs help.

Alexander Keith is becoming more and more independent. In one of Alexander Keith's attempts to assert his independence, he ran off with his girlfriend and got matching tattoos. 

You were baffled at Alexander Keith's stupidity, but you realize independence involves learning to live with his own mistakes. Fortunately the tattoos are very small and in an inconspicuous place.

10.) Q: Alexander Keith comes home after curfew. You notice the next day that there is a dent on the right front fender of the car. You spoke with Alexander Keith last night when he got home and he said that everything was fine and the only reason he was late was because he had to drop off a few friends.
A: You ask Alexander Keith about the dent and give him a chance to explain, because you figure he was too scared to tell you last night. He blurts out what happened and apologizes. You say you don't have the money in the budget to pay the insurance deductible so he will have to save money to pay it or just live with the dent.
> For him not to get spoiled, Alexander must pay for the dents that he made to his car. As parents it is our way of teaching him to be responsible so that the next time he will be extra careful of his car. 

Alexander Keith wants to get a summer job but so far has only applied to two fast-food restaurants and a grocery store with no results.

You are asking Alexander Keith to save half of the earnings for college. 

Alexander Keith has had some arguments with friends and temporarily has no one to hang out with. He is moping around the house. Alexander Keith used to go out frequently, but now he just sits at home on the weekends.

You realize that it is a difficult time for Alexander Keith, and just let him be. If he continues on like this for another week you'll do something about it.

Time passes. Alexander Keith continues living life.

Here are some highlights from Alexander Keith's 11th grade report card.

Alexander Keith received good marks for citizenship from several teachers, indicating that Alexander Keith contributed often to the class.

He got a B in Spanish II and B's in both English and American History. The English teacher thought Alexander Keith could do better with more effort.

He received a B in Algebra II and a B in Physics, and an at earlier conference with the Physics teacher, this teacher thought Alexander Keith was working up to his ability.

He received A's in his fine arts classes this past year and a notation "Pleasure to have in class" from the Drawing II teacher.

He got A's for both orchestra and vocal music classes and an award for "leadership in musical performance."

age 14

Alexander Keith was on the Internet recently when he suddenly became very angry and unleashed some bad language you didn't even know he had.

Over the next few days, Alexander Keith was engaged in a titanic instant messaging battle, hurling insults at a former friend, and receiving hostile messages from a couple of kids you haven't even heard of. You finally had to restrict him from using the computer just to calm things down. Of course then there are always those messages on the cell phone...

1.)Q:  The transition to high school seems to have thrown Alexander Keith for a loop. He seems to get easily stressed out and angry or rebellious. Little insults from peers and small setbacks in his classes seem to have an exaggerated effect on him
A: You listen to Alexander Keith's troubles and try to provide handy solutions or advice >As a parent, it is important for us to lend an ear to Alexander in times of trouble or problems for him to have someone mature enough to ask advices from and for him to be able to feel secure and to have him develop his trust to his parents.

Alexander Keith tried out for the high school basketball team and made it! He practices his moves often in the driveway of the house.

You are pleased that Alexander Keith is having fun with the sport and you enjoy going to the games.

2.) Q: A student at Alexander Keith's school was caught with a knife and suspended last week. There have also been a couple of drug possession busts, and some fights, mostly among older graders. Alexander Keith has been a bit nervous about going to school lately.
A:You tell Alexander Keith that he doesn't need to worry, as long as he stays away from kids that start talking about violence or drugs. >As a parent, it is important for us to let Alexander Keith feel secure about his school and surroundings. So we tell him that he will be safe going to school as long as he stays away from kids who uses drugs and violence in order for him to not skip school and so that he won't fall into temptations of trying out drugs and violence.

Alexander Keith occasionally argues with you about issues such as bedtime, chores, curfew, clothing choices, music choices, etc., but otherwise you get along pretty well.

You know you aren't going to get anywhere by continuing the discussion, so you drop it and let him calm down for a while before speaking to him again.

3.)Q: Alexander Keith is looking forward to taking several art/design classes and is pleased that there are so many to choose from.
A:you encourage Alexander Keith to take the fine arts classes in the junior or senior year as a break from what might be a difficult schedule. >Since he is very interested in fine arts, as a parent I will let myself be involved in his interest and provide him with things that we will be needing to improve his skill.

Alexander Keith has a couple of grades that are below his ability level in a couple of subjects in the current progress report. You think his study habits need improvement.

You let Alexander Keith experience the consequences of the first poor progress report and then arrange a talk with a favorite teacher about study habits.

4.) Q: Alexander Keith has shown an increased interest in men's magazines and sexually related websites. He talks on the phone or e-mails his friends about the girls in his school. Recently you found a porn video that had been downloaded on the home computer. He just blushed and left the room, mumbling that he would get rid of it.
A: You ask Alexander Keith's opinion of girls from his class that you know(from middle school) or that you both happen to meet in the store. You also talk openly about sexual issues that come up in the news or on tv (such as birth control, STDs, gay marriages, etc), even if Alexander Keith says "you're grossing me out!" This way Alexander Keith will know that you are willing to talk about sex. >As a parent, i find this as a part of his growing up but I don't want him to do things without understanding what he is doing. Since he is already a teen, I will take this time to have conversations openly even on sexual issues for him to understand what is right and wrong and for him not to make mistakes or bad decisions in the future. Through this, he will know that he could openly express his thoughts and feeling to me so when he will need mature advices, he could come to me anytime and not feel shy about it.

5.) Q: Alexander Keith is a lot more interested in his appearance lately, and wants to wear certain clothes, shoes or hairstyles. From what you can tell, all of Alexander Keith's friends wear the same styles.
A: you give Alexander Keith some new ways to earn money around the house so he can afford to look cool. >As a parent, I find this way very helpful to both of us since we both could benefit from it. Apart from him earning money to buy his wants, he is also helping in cleaning the house and also through that way I am teaching him the value of hard work and money for him not to get spoiled.

6.) Q: After the transition to high school, Alexander Keith couldn't connect with friends from middle school. However, he made some new friends and become involved in a couple of clubs because his new best friend suggested they join together.
A: you are pleased that Alexander Keith is participating in clubs so soon, and you leave the choice up to him and try to be supportive. >As a parent, I respect my child's decision and let him join clubs he wants and support him. It is very important for me to let him know that I support his interest.

7.) Q: Alexander Keith has come to Dad claiming it is time for him to start shaving. When he proudly shows off his facial hair, you can sort of see the peach fuzz that might really need shaving in 6 months or so. He says that all his friends have started shaving already.
A: Dad explains to him that he shouldn't be shaving just because all his friends are, but he buys Alexander Keith an electric shaver anyway. > As a parent, i will provide him with things that we will be needing like for shaving because it is also a part of his proper hygiene.

8.) Q: Alexander Keith mentions that he had a long conversation with another student on a bus about all kinds of issues on which they disagreed, such as religion and politics. Alexander Keith listened to the other person's point of view, but when he came home, he wanted to tell you all about his own viewpoints.

A: You listen to Alexander Keith's view and  find that they are fairly close to your own political, moral, and spiritual views. You pat him on the head and say half jokingly, "So you have been listening to us all these years.!"
>As parents, we find it important to have conversations with our child regarding religion and politics and other social issues so that someday he will understand these issues and that he could make viewpoints of his own.

Alexander Keith's 30-year-old uncle has moved into the area from out of state and wants to reconnect after not seeing Alexander Keith for 5 years. The uncle is unmarried and wants to hang out with Alexander Keith and teach his favorite sport, tennis, to Alexander Keith.

Alexander Keith loved the uncle 5 years ago, and does hang out with him and play some tennis, but doesn't seem ready to form a closer relationship.

Alexander Keith and some of his friends went camping with a close friend's parents.

Alexander Keith had a great time, and learned to use a compass to navigate in the woods.

Over the summer, Alexander Keith had big plans to get some projects started, get involved more in sports or clubs, and hang out with friends.

He has gone on a few outings with friends and started one project at home, but sometimes complains of being bored. You remind him about the other plans and offer your help if needed.

Over the summer, Alexander Keith has been less cooperative with your requests and is spending more and more time with friends. Sometimes you are able to shuttle Alexander Keith and his friends around, but it isn't always possible for either parent to monitor Alexander Keith because of your jobs.

You let him go, but require that he always be reachable by cell phone, and if he is not available, or does not follow either parent's instructions about being home at a certain time, or lies about where he has been, he gets grounded.

Age 15

Time passes. Alexander Keith continues living life.

 

 

You didn't have a chance to go to a teacher conference at the end of 9th grade, but you have spoken with nearly all of Alexander Keith's teachers or e-mailed with them at least once this past semester. You received the report card in the mail in early July.

Alexander Keith got good marks for citizenship this year from most of the teachers.
He got B's in Spanish, English and World Geography.
He received a B in Algebra I and a B in Biology.
He received A's in his fine arts classes this past year and a comment that his work was very creative.
He received an A in his chorus class and a commendation from the band director for his participation in the school orchestra.

 

At age 8

Alexander Keith and most of his friends act as though girls are "yucky" and to be avoided, and they spend a lot of their time playing sports, roughhousing, or roaming the neighborhood on bikes and skateboards.

> I tolerate his attitude and find this normal, but as long as he treats his sister kindly at home. It is part of his growing up to play more with boys and be different just as long as he wouldn’t forget to respect and remember his values.

Alexander Keith's talent and interest in math has suddenly improved. It blossomed under the instruction of a great 3rd grade teacher who handles math for grades 3 and 4. The teacher has seen this happen before, and believes it involves bi-directional influences from the child and the environment.

Alexander Keith's talent and interest in math has suddenly improved. It blossomed under the instruction of a great 3rd grade teacher who handles math for grades 3 and 4. The teacher has seen this happen before, and believes it involves bi-directional influences from the child and the environment

 Going with the flow is a better idea, so i go with whatever alexander has interest in and I supported with. With this he would be able to improve and excell in his field of interest knowing that he is supported by his parents and that he would focus more on his interest and achieve things.

Alexander Keith is usually cheerful and in good humor. He uses humor to deal with stress or just shrugs off life's little upsets. Very rarely, he runs across a problem that gets him really upset. At these times you

If this happens I synpathize him and listen to him if he wants to talk, this way he would feel comfortable talking his problems to me and that he wouldn't be stressed and he will have someone ta ask advices on.

Alexander Keith seems to be about average for his age at drawing and building things.

I will provide him with art materials so that he could practice his interest more and maybe achieve and excel on that field, but i won't push him so that he would not feel pressured and he would just enjoy his new interest.

Alexander Keith seems to be able to eat a lot without gaining any weight.

I would let him watch that website about proper diet so that he would know what to eat right. 

Despite efforts by you and the teachers to help, Alexander Keith is having serious reading problems. Hedoesn't seem to recognize many of the less familiar words in the third grade reader, and has trouble sounding them out accurately. He is more comfortable with first grade reading materials, but even there tends to guess at words rather than work them out. Alexander Keith has a great deal of difficulty with spelling, and gets tired and discouraged when trying to write. Alexander Keith is finally tested and diagnosed by the school psychologist as having a reading disability, and is getting one hour a day of small-group instruction in literacy, with a phonics component

Because Alexander keith has so far to go to catch up, in addition to the school intervention, you take him to a learning center three times a week, and work with him nightly on a computer phonics program that specializes in phonics, spelling and writing. 

With this it would be a great help with him in his school and it would give him less stress. Plus it would help him manage his time well.

Alexander Keith likes the role of big brother and plays with Arabella Nichola quite a bit in the yard on the weekends when friends are not available. It's usually a construction project (such as building a fort or cabin out of old boxes), or whatever sport Alexander Keith is most interested in playing (little sisters don't have a lot of choice!).

If they get bored I suggest outdoor activities like hiking so that their bonding would get stronger with different kinds of fun activities and so that they won't get bored with their games and activities together.

Alexander Keith's teacher reports that he daydreams in class and often seems not to get simple verbal instructions.

I let him write down notes and check it after school just to know that he is participating and listening in school. It would make him aware that i am checking on his writings after class so it would make him listen and participate in school.

 Alexander Keith is struggling in 3rd grade math and whenever you try to help, seems to get frustrated and angry.

Scaffolding is important here, so i would teach him and work with him for a few problems and leave it up to him for the next and check up on him afterwards. By doing this so it will help him learn without having trouble.

Alexander Keith is doing well in language arts and has a pretty good vocabulary. He struggles with reading and writing. You encourage avenues for learning and self expression such as:

 Downloading books of his interest and reading them put loud would be a big help in his vocabulary. It would hell him hear what he is saying and with my guidance he would know what is the meaning of the words he is saying and it would add up to his vocabulary since reading makes your vocabulary wide.

Alexander Keith seems to get along well in many different situations with children his age, and also has a good relationship with his teacher and several other adult relatives, friends and neighbors. You:

I would let him be socially involve with such activities so that he would have fun and would know how to interact well with people and be confident about his self.

Alexander Keith has one friend who seems to be pretty free to hang out this summer and a couple of others who are available from time to time.

I would make ket him have his friends over but i would make sure he finishes his responsibilities and chores before and after playing so that he would be responsible and would not forget his duties first before and after having fun.

How smart is your child and in what areas?

He's really slow when it comes to verbal and slightly below average ln logical mathematical and average on spatial musical and bodily kinesthetic intelligence

Describe some of your child's behavior.

He's more close to his boy classmates than to the girls. He plays with his sister sometimes, he's responsible and he's socially active.

Age Six

Alexander Keith still seems somewhat more distractible than other kids. He has difficult following instructions in class, and staying on task, and you notice this with homework at home. He can watch a favorite show or play video games for over an hour, though.

Ø You Help Alexander Keith with the homework by removing distractions, and rewarding him with a favourite video or video game if he does a good job on homework.

Ø As a parent it’s my responsibility to help Alexander improve In his education. For a kid like him to be able to follow what is needed to follow, there should be a reward and punishment to reinforce him to do something. I see giving him rewards would work out well for him to be inspired in doing a good job in school. So that in every effort he makes he will see there will be a reward so he will be inspired to work hard to get that reward, and on the other hand he will be making progress on his studies.

You occasionally help out in Alexander Keith's first grade classroom. One thing you notice during recess is that the boys usually engage in physical activities in fairly large groups and keep the girls out. The girls are more variable, but tend to have small-group or even just one-on-one interactions. What little contact there is between genders usually involves teasing or chasing. Alexander Keith's behavior is fairly typical.

Ø You are concerned that Alexander Keith is too strongly stereotyped, and you resolve to be more equitable with regard to gender roles at home.

Ø Since Alexander is a boy I find it normal for him to have more interactions with the same sex and to be aggressive. It’s in their nature to tease and chase girls but other than that I want him to respect and to know more about the other sex. I want Him to treat girls well even when he’s teasing them. I want him to tease others but in a good way and that it won’t lead to bullying girls. So he should start learning to respect girls and be fair on gender roles at home first since he has a sister.

Alexander Keith is able to hold his own in conversations with adults, and uses some surprisingly difficult words in his speech. He also is beginning to use this vocabulary in his writing for school.

>You continue to go on outings museums, cultural centers, nature centers, etc.

>I would let Alexander be exposed to his environment since he’s learning more when he’s having fun. Since he’s adventurous I take this idea to be helpful since he could learn and improve his language and communication skills by being socially active and by talking and listening to different people whether it is in the museum cultural center, nature centers and more.

Alexander Keith really knows the routines now in restaurants and only occasionally gets rambunctious.

Now you need to work on Arabella Nichola! Fortunately, she now has a well-behaved older sibling to imitate, so perhaps your task will be easier this time around.

Alexander Keith gets along very well with other children on an individual basis and is not shy at all, but is not a peer leader or one of the more popular kids in his grade.

Ø You work on developing a best friendship for alexander keith by getting to know the parents of his favourite kid, and arranging more frequent get-togethers.

Ø Being famous is not a big deal as long as Alexander has a true and good friend. As a parent I want to be involved also in alexander’s life, so by getting to know the parents of his friend/s would be better so that I would know if he has chosen a good friend or not. By knowing the parents of his friend/s, I will be assured of his safety. Having frequent get-togethers is also good for building up Alexander’s friendship.

Alexander Keith has been imitating what Dad does more and more, even down to gestures and turns of phrase. He wants to hang around whenever Dad is doing anything interesting, such as trying to repair the plumbing (without cursing), or going to the store.

Ø You see alexander keith’s focus on the masculine role as a normal development and you go along with it, but point out as often as you can examples of variety in gender roles, such as female firefighters, male preschool teachers, etc.

Ø What Alexander is doing is completely normal and I agree with him practicing his masculinity with his father and with that he gets to bond more with his dad. But since he is becoming more aware and interested with his gender and masculinity he should be educated also with the variety examples of gender roles so that he won’t be confused and that we would not judge others and will find equality in different genders and sexes.

Alexander Keith is working a little below grade level in math and isn't particularly interested in science at school or at home.

Ø You have always been interested in astronomy so you go on some star-gazing nights with the family, and hope that alexander will learn by example to develop an interest.

Ø Helping Alexander get interested in science would be involving him in such activities that are related to science. Activities such as star gazing would give him a glimpse of how beautiful science is and he would enjoy those activities and would also be interested little by little in science.

Alexander Keith is fairly interested in participating in sports, although at present, you would guess he'd be only an average player. However, with a little practice, he could enjoy any number of sports. Based on Alexander Keith's interest, you enroll him in:

Ø Basketball and tennis.

Alexander Keith seems to be having a new round of colds and stomach aches, and has had to miss several days of school this fall.

Ø You recognize this is part of the normal process of building up immunities, and do nothing special other than to care for Alexander keith when he is ill.

Ø Him having missed school is better than to let him have increased his sickness. So for him to be healed quickly it is better for him to be absent than for his sickness to get worse.

One day Alexander Keith's pet fish dies and you do the whole backyard burial ceremony. A few days later Alexander Keith asks if you will die, and whether he will die as well.

Ø I would tell him that all living things die and nothing’s permanent in this world. I would tell him that he could buy another one and moved on and it is normal for things to be gone and people to die.

Alexander Keith seems to be generally very responsible and helpful, but sometimes he is busy playing when it is time for homework, dinner, bath or bed, and he doesn't want to stop the activity. You have usually given him "5 minutes" to finish up and he has been very cooperative about it.

Ø I would let Alexander do simple chores and reward him with every work done. By doing this it would help him be responsible and would help him manage his time well than to be lazy.

Alexander Keith has been struggling since kindergarten to learn letters and their sounds. He has trouble breaking up words into sounds (phonological awareness), and sounding out new words (even simple ones like mat, hat and cat). He is not able to read simple books independently yet like most of the other first graders. The teacher says not to worry, some kids are just slow starters. Alexander Keith might catch on later in the year, and if not, he'll get some one-on-one help from a teacher's aide at the end of the school year to catch him up.

Ø I would ask advices to the teacher based on alexander’s performance in school so that I could help him improve in his difficulties in school. I would help him with his homework and in any difficulties he have until he would be able to do it independently.

Alexander Keith is about ready to finish first grade. Both parents are working full-time now, and Alexander Keith's sister is in preschool.

Alexander Keith grows serious one day and says something to the effect that you are "nicer" to him than other parents are to their kids.

He adds that you have about the same number of "rules" (i.e., you are the same in strictness) as other kids' parents. You are a little surprised that Alexander Keith is so aware of how other parents behave.

You went to a teacher conference and the teacher went over Alexander Keith's first grade report card. The report card uses developmental categories rather than traditional grades. 

Some of the results were expected, but some of them surprised you, and you decide Alexander Keith's behavior must differ somewhat at home and school.

You like the neighborhood where Alexander Keith goes to school and 

hope you can stay on through his sister's time in school.

Some highlights of the first grade report card were the following ratings:

Usually works cooperatively in groups, usually respects rights and property of others, and usually demonstrates appropriate peer social interaction.

"Requires additional support" in reading and writing. The teacher also noted that Alexander Keith was still in the early stages of learning to decode printed words, and was not fluent in reading first grade books. The teacher thought this was a specific problem with reading printed words, because his listening comprehension (i.e., when the teacher reads aloud) was better than his reading comprehension. The teacher recommended some computer phonics games for home use and suggested hiring a reading and writing tutor over the summer.

In the comments section the teacher wrote: Alexander Keith occasionally gets upset in stressful situations but usually calms down fairly quickly.

"Demonstrates strength" in the areas of speaking and listening and in content knowledge of social studies and science.

"Requires additional support" in the areas of mathematical problem solving, understanding of data and number concepts.

"Developmentally appropriate" in the areas of spatial understanding and visual arts.

The teacher said that Alexander Keith was somewhat more active, distractible and impulsive than the other children, but usually was able to pay attention and stay on task. Occasionally he distracted the other children at their work. The teacher recommended reinforcing positive on-task behavior at home, and discouraging off-task, distractible behavior.

Usually works independently, usually listens attentively and follows directions, and usually follows classroom rules.

How well is your child adapting to social situations in the home and outside the home? Does your child have any behavior or emotional problems at this point? Why do you think these problems are occurring and what are you doing about them?

Ø He’s doing well since I am always guiding him what is right to do. As of now he has little behavioural and emotional problems so to help him solve it, I involve myself in his activities and give him advices and activities to improve his behaviour. I talk to him about his emotions and behaviour for him to improve his self.

Do you notice any improvements in cognitive and language skills since age 4? Give specific examples. Does your child have any special needs with regard to cognitive or language development at this point and what do you plan to do?

He has improved in his cognitive but still struggles a bit in his language development. I helped him everytime he has difficulty in his language development so that he would improve by guiding and helping him in his schoolwork.