So…how is Jack’s article about spring training coming? Well, let me share the talking points I put together for the discussion we had Saturday.

• Chores
  • Your chores are garbage. Do the minimal amount possible to get them done
  • When asked to do them, always answer “I will” or “hang on” and then it’s 10:10 and you’re doing the trash when you should be in bed
• School
  • Spent 45 minutes studying for a test — compare that to 2 hours spent on screen time
  • 43/50 on MacBeth essay — pretty weak
  • Seems again, minimal effort possible
• General screen use
  • Mom is constantly telling you to get off – causes tension
  • Return from school every day and your battery is dead
  • When I drive you to school, right on screen, don’t even say hi when friends get into the car
• The article
  • This is the opportunity of a lifetime
  • 2 weeks later…nothing close to a viable article
  • Opportunity is passed — no one will publish an article about spring training now with real season starting in 5 days
  • The week after spring training, you did nothing
  • We had laid out a terrific outline to a super article — and then you did nothing
  • Finally wrote in week 2, spent maybe an hour on it. Mediocre
  • You didn’t hold up your end of this bargain
    • Wrote Pirates and said you wanted to do an article
    • They let you come and interview. You got all the good stuff
    • Then you didn’t do your part
• What I’m seeing as a dad
  • On one hand, you have something productive, interesting, unique, amazing to do (article)
  • But instead, you chose Fortnight (Xbox game) and Instagram. Chose screens. Chose bullshit.
  • This is a signal of a serious issue.
  • So I am pulling screens

That’s as far as I got. Jack freaked out. Yelled that none of that was true, and then stormed away.

So that’s the update on the article.

Postlude: Negotiations have continued. Jack returned after giving it thought and admitted to screwing up on chores and the article. We then went into heavy negotiations for new rules to get screens under control. But negotiating with these two is always a challenge.