Extending the Weekend

Little rant here...

First, a little background.  When the two older boys were young, I was a single mother working a job with no benefits.  If I didn't go to work...I didn't get paid for that day. I wasn't able to call into work and stay home with kids who "just didn't feel well."   Therefore, I instilled this one rule:

If you're not vomiting or you don't have a fever, you are, at least, getting up and trying to go to school. Plain and simple! 

I really try hard to make my kids understand that there is a big difference between not feeling well and being sick.  


I hope this will translate into a good work ethic in the future - I know it has for my oldest son already. 

Anyway, back to my original point.  Being a teacher of Middle School students, you start noticing patterns of certain students being absent on Mondays and Fridays.  And I'm not talking about once or twice a year.

Here is the attendance pattern of two Middle School students at our school - just for this year so far:
Child 1
Monday September 9th    absent
Monday October 21st      absent
Monday November 4th    absent
Monday November 18th  absent
Friday November 22nd    absent
Monday December 9th    absent

Girl 1
Friday August 30th            absent
Friday September 6th        absent
Friday September 20th      absent
Monday September 23rd   absent
Friday October 4th            absent
Wednesday October 30th  absent (we had Thursday and Friday off that week)
Monday November 11th    absent
Monday November 25th    absent

I can't help but wonder what is taking place in these households.  

Wouldn't we all love to extend our weekend by a day once or twice a month?  But that is not life.  They are enabling their children to adapt terrible habits early on in life.  Not good!