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Letting DH teach SS13 How to Address a Thank You Card

step off already's picture

Submitted by step off already on Sat, 04/13/2013 - 9:59pm

So, apparently, my 13 year old SS has no idea how to address an envelope. He's been working on his thank you cards for his bday. I reminded him that in addition to the ones he'd bring to school for friends, he also needed to write ones for family members that sent him things in the mail or attended his party.

So he provides the envelopes with the names scibbled across the front. I remind him that these need to be sent in the mail and ask him if he knows how to address a letter. He says something under his breath so I ask him again. He doesn't know how.

I tell DH, who I'm sitting next to on the couch that it looks like he needs to go help DH address the letters. DH says he's so tired... I remind him that his 13 year old son does NOT know how to address a letter.

Do they not teach this in public school? I know he's never written thank you's prior to my involvement, but come on. He's 13.

Comments

Anon2009's picture

Submitted by Anon2009 on Sat, 04/13/2013 - 11:55pm

I don't think so. If they do, they don't really go in depth into it. Add to that the fact that 13 year old boys aren't renowned for being too smart, to be blunt.

step off already's picture

Submitted by step off already on Sun, 04/14/2013 - 3:10pm

Yes, unless you're the tired of it step mom. Then you can have DH "teach" him and when DH doesn't pay any attention to what he's doing, you can have SS write out new envelopes the next night.

sigh...

step off already's picture

Submitted by step off already on Sun, 04/14/2013 - 3:12pm

Yes. I know his Christmas thank you cards were the first thank you's he's ever written. I wrote out a template with "______________"s in them so he could fill in some of "his thoughts". This time I let him do the whole job on his own.

But he apparently has no idea how to address them, so I'll be sitting down with him tonight to show him so he can redo the envelopes.

Onefootout's picture

Submitted by Onefootout on Sun, 04/14/2013 - 1:13pm

Has anyone heard of the term "learned helplessness," or " planned incompetence?" I think my SS16 does this all the time. Really frustrates SO sometimes when he wants his son, who's taller than him, to help fix things around the house. SS just acts like he doesn't understand anything SO is instructing him to do. I think SS just doesn't want to spend any mental energy learning how to do stuff around the house.

But when it comes to food, video games, and...more video games, he's like an expert.

step off already's picture

Submitted by step off already on Sun, 04/14/2013 - 3:13pm

My thoughts exactly. Learned laziness. If I stall, or smile and agree long enough, it will all go away.

GhostWhoCooksDinner's picture

Submitted by GhostWhoCooksDinner on Wed, 04/17/2013 - 12:28pm

I wrote a blog on this exact same thing not too long ago. I don't know how to create a link, but if you go under my blog, you'll find it. Good luck! It's really frustrating that skids can't seem to be able to do the simplest things, isn't it?