Email from the school

@Poppies he told me when he got home. It seems he failed a very important test but he can't remember what one. So now I'm more confused than anything really because I can see all his grades. He's got all good marks

@Cigarguy I still don't think this is going to be the end of the world. Maybe it is one of those standardized tests that reflect heavily on the school (more than the student). Whatever it is, they should have a plan for him to catch up in whatever it is.

@Poppies yeah I just don't think he'd fail one of those test. He's a smart kid, his grades are good. So I don't know. I'll find out tomorrow. At least I know he's not in trouble so I do feel a lot better.

@Cigarguy If he normally excels and then failed a test, they may just be concerned about what may be going on his life that might have caused it. I remember my wife and I being called in because youngest son was "too quiet". They wanted us to take him to family counseling because somewhere in the 60's our society decided everyone has to be an extrovert. (Read Quiet, by Susan Caine. Wonderful book.) We told them that he was quiet because his older brother was acting out all the time, and getting nothing but grief for it. But to placate them, we went to family counseling. The family counselor interviewed us all, as a group and individually. Then told us the problem wasn't younger son being so quiet but older son's constant acting out and getting in trouble, and nothing could be done until he was willing to accept counseling which he wasn't.

Good news is that both have grown up to be great adults. Ironic part: young one is the gregarious extrovert these days, interacts and talks with everyone in his corporate career, volunteer activities, and travels. Older one no longer is aggressive; happy tending to his rural life.

@dancingtongue it was the school annual eye and hearing screening he "failed". His words not the school.

@Cigarguy OK. Even less worries. My mother wanted to get my eyes checked at a very early age because she thought I had vision problems. But we were dirt poor, and no one else in the family thought it was a concern. It wasn't until I flunked an eye exam in the first grade that she won out. I had 20-400 vision. Wore bifocals as a kid. Big turning point in my life. The moon no longer had spikes. No more standing there clueless when my brother or father tried to play catch with me until the ball suddenly was about to hit me, and throwing up my hands to protect myself.

@dancingtongue yeah I always figured that both my kids will need glasses eventually because like I said I have them and their mom had bad eyes as well. I'm very glad that it wasn't something worse my mind was going a little crazy thinking about the possibilities.. he has ADHD but at this time we are choosing not to use medication to treat his condition. We're using therapy and other coping methods and that seems to be working well. I had a fear that the school was going to tell me they wanted him on meds or something. Don't get me wrong I am not against meds I take them myself but I feel like if he can manage the condition without the medication and is doing well and is happy and feels good there's no need to put them on any meds..