Parents to blame for tardy kids

Screeeech! "OK, go, go, go! No, wait! Give me a kiss! OK, go. See you after school! I love you!"

It's a scene I encounter on a daily basis after I've ushered my son to his preschool classroom. It's the case of the perennially late parent and, by no fault of his own, the destined-for-a-tardy-slip late student.

In the event that the child is to blame for the late arrival, that does not exonerate the parent from responsibility. If Junior fails to heed his alarm clock in the morning, move his bedtime back one hour. More often than not, I suspect, it's the parent who habitually awakens too late in the morning to allow sufficient time for getting himself, as well as his charges, ready for the day.

This chronic lateness has a tremendous affect on the social and academic well being of the child. A student who already exhibits traits of being organizationally challenged or is affected by ADD is further mired when she arrives late to school because she's forced to throw everything haphazardly into her locker and stumble to class unprepared and out of breath.

And while the organized child may not be hindered by having to rush to the office for a tardy slip, he may miss out on the socializing that accompanies those already settled at their desks or the invaluable guidance of the teacher.

The school's consequences in the form of demerits or detention should be sufficient reason to elicit from the parent a concerted effort toward punctuality.

Children depend on their parents to be caregivers, providers, and reliable transporters. If adults ignore the repercussions their child receives as a result of being tardy for school, then it's the parents who should receive the detention.

Lauren Valente

Sleepy Hollow