When you feed them, you can tell them what to do.

Obviously this is a title to get the blood pumping.  Kindness is a huge part of caring for people, including the little ones.  All of this is written with a kind heart and out of caring even if the tone in some places sounds a little abrupt. 


I've had more sit down sessions with teenagers than our local psychologist so I feel like I know what the kids want and need deep down.  Here's just a few ideas: 

They need to eat.  Seriously.  They are hungry all the time.  I've handed out parts of my lunch to students on a number of occasions when a student didn't get breakfast.  Here's the deal though.  If you're going to eat at the school, you get to clean the toilets and wash the windows.  That's not meant to be demeaning.  My kids at my house are told the same thing. 

Now that I think about it, all the kids are going to school for free.  They should all have to work.  We could replace the custodians with kids and it would help everyone.  The custodians would love it because they could find jobs cleaning up after people that don't intentionally miss the toilet.  The kids would learn some life skills and the school would save some money.  It's a win, win.

They need to be told "no" and sometimes "NO!"
  • - No, you can't do extra credit.  I gave you the assignment and you didn't do it.  Now you will need to deal with the consequences of your choices and go to summer school.
  • - No, you can't use your phone to text during class.  I'm going to take it and keep it for 24 hours, just like I said I would.  If your parents think you need it sooner than that, they will need to come to the office and pick it up.   
  • - No, college is not the best option right now.  You don't seem to have a specific direction you are going.  You should spend some time working and finding out what type of work you would enjoy and then you can go to college with a purpose and, here's the kicker, you won't go into debt because you'll be able to pay for it yourself!  It's win, win.
  • - No, you shouldn't date that guy that you're with.  I know he's giving you the attention you are hungry for and he says he loves you but he doesn't know what love is yet and he won't be around when you get pregnant.  There's a reason that the movies portray the young man staying with his pregnant girlfriend as a "hero".  Because it never happens.  Tell you what, tell him you won't have sex with him until you're married and if he stays with you for longer than 6 months I'll say I'm sorry and I'll think he might be worth something.
  • - No, you can't wear that.  It makes you look like you want attention.  Work to gain people's respect and then you'll have their attention and it will be the kind of attention that you want.  
Anyway, I think kids need a lot of love and that means caring enough to give them what they really need.  

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