REFUSES TO WEAR A WATCH!
KathlnTyr
I lost the previous thread on my newsreader and can't find where I posted
this (if I did), so here goes again!
(also "Re: SCHOOL REQUIRING WATCHES?")
I honestly am really surprised at the responses here! Personally, I think
it is actually a *good* idea! Having served as room mother several times,
I repeatedly get asked by the kids "what time is it?" or "how much time to
we have left", (when we are in library or other places where a clock is
not always visible to everyone), and kids always procrastinate on their
assignments less when they are more aware of the time. I have said myself
many times to plenty of students "Where's your watch?" and "Why don't you
wear a watch?". Having a watch on them could certainly not hurt! Our son
could really use one. We did try the pocket watch, but like I said, he
lost it after a few days, and he didn't want to carry another one we got
him, since he got teased a bit about it, I believe. I am sure the reason
he won't wear one (or any other "wrist thing") is psychological. He has no
problem with cuffs on sleeves, even tight ones. It is the idea of having a
specifically "wrist" thing on his wrist. (watch, bracelets, etc), or the
idea of it. Sort of like a phobia (wristophobia? <G>). I have no idea why
he is like this. Another example is when he was playing baseball last year
for awhile, all the other boys on the team all wore wristbands
(sweatbands?) to go with thier uniforms, and we wanted to buy him some but
he really objected to the idea of that, even though the cuffs on the
sleeves of his jackets are the same size and even tighter and more
"irritating" than the wristbands would have been! It is purely a
psychological thing.
Crickette
kath...@aol.com (KathlnTyr) wrote:
>(also "Re: SCHOOL REQUIRING WATCHES?")
>I honestly am really surprised at the responses here! Personally, I think
>it is actually a *good* idea! Having served as room mother several times,
>I repeatedly get asked by the kids "what time is it?" or "how much time to
>we have left", (when we are in library or other places where a clock is
>not always visible to everyone), and kids always procrastinate on their
>assignments less when they are more aware of the time. I have said myself
>many times to plenty of students "Where's your watch?" and "Why don't you
>wear a watch?". Having a watch on them could certainly not hurt!
I don't wear a watch myself, and I have always hated wearing one, so I
thought I my try to answer this. In my case, I really, genuinely,
seem to be allergic to watches somehow. If I wear one for more than
an hour or so at a time, I get an itchy rash on the top of my wrist
where the back of the watch rubs against my skin. It itches so much,
that I have actually scratched myself to the point of drawing blood.
I have also tried wearing tight-fitting bracelets, with the same
result. Loose chains, or jewelry elsewhere on my body, don't bother
me at all (although most of my jewelry is either silver or gold, not
stainless steel), so I really have no explanation for the watch-rash
that I get.
When I was younger, I did try to wear watches, but I often just took
them off when it got unbearable, then misplaced them never to be found
again. That does not mean that I never know what time it is. I
usually carry a small folding travel alarm clock in my purse or
briefcase, and I can take it out when I need to know the time. I've
also worn watch pendants (necklaces), and that was convenient for me
for a while too. I've often considered getting a nice pocketwatch,
but I don't always have a pocket to carry it in, and I'm afraid of
what would happen to it in my purse. <BG>
I am not opposed to watches, but I simply cannot wear one myself, so I
have great sympathy for people who feel forced to wear one but find it
uncomfortable.
Kimberly Weiss
Mommy to Alexandra (6/16/91) and Michael (10/7/94)
**************************************************
* Change our thoughts, and the world around us *
* changes. -Richard Bach *
**************************************************
Louise
kath...@aol.com (KathlnTyr) wrote:
> I honestly am really surprised at the responses here! Personally, I think
> it is actually a *good* idea![...] I have said myself
> many times to plenty of students "Where's your watch?" and "Why don't you
> wear a watch?". Having a watch on them could certainly not hurt! Our son
> could really use one. We did try the pocket watch, but like I said, he
> lost it after a few days, and he didn't want to carry another one we got
> him, since he got teased a bit about it, I believe. I am sure the reason
> he won't wear one (or any other "wrist thing") is psychological. He has no
> problem with cuffs on sleeves, even tight ones. It is the idea of having a
> specifically "wrist" thing on his wrist. (watch, bracelets, etc), or the
> idea of it.
It sounds to me like you've tried lots of creative ways to help him work
out his problem. Maybe it's time to remind him that it *is* his problem.
Let him work out for himself whether he can find a compromise that won't
violate the dress code, or whether he'd rather accept the consequences for
departing from the code than compromise.
Seems to me that part of the "must wear a wristwatch" rule might be about
encouraging and empowering the students to take responsibility for their
own lives, anyway.
Louise
--
* Louise bs...@freenet.carleton.ca *
* "No-one said it would be easy; no-one thought we'd come this far." *
* -Sheryl Crow *
Carol and Haisam Ido
Has your son tried wearing a wristwatch on his belt or beltloops? This
worked for me for a long time (I have eczema and go through phases where
a watchband irritates me). Another option is to get him a pager (!) - my
husband's pager displays the time. Also, some calculators and
walkman's have clock
functions.
Carol
+-------------------------------------------------+
Carol and Haisam Ido <id...@cais.com>
+-------------------------------------------------+
piranha
In article <1996051904...@postbox.acs.ohio-state.edu>,
Louise <bs...@freenet.carleton.ca> wrote:
[the kid who won't wear a wristwatch vs. the school who demands it as
part of their dress code.]
>It sounds to me like you've tried lots of creative ways to help him work
>out his problem. Maybe it's time to remind him that it *is* his problem.
>Let him work out for himself whether he can find a compromise that won't
>violate the dress code, or whether he'd rather accept the consequences for
>departing from the code than compromise.
what would be the consequences, i wonder? has the original
poster inquired? it appears that there are no alternatives
allowed, so i wonder what happens to "refuseniks".
>Seems to me that part of the "must wear a wristwatch" rule might be about
>encouraging and empowering the students to take responsibility for their
>own lives, anyway.
hm. i dunno, i've never yet found something "empowering" or
even "encouraging" that came prefixed with the word "must".
i don't see what the point is, other than the power of "we
say so, that's why you must do it" in a school demanding that
children wear a wristwatch. it seems to me to go considerably
further than wanting to encourage children to learn about
time and punctuality. there are a number of ways a school
can encourage that. i certainly learned all about it, in
fact i learned so in kindergarten, and i didn't have a watch
of my own then.
i find dress codes that go beyond "clean shoes/shirts/pants"
for the most part odious. i can see the point in wearing
school colours to some degree, if it expresses pride in the
school and what it stands for. that part of my school uni-
form didn't bother me much.
but anything further i see much more as oppressive than as
encouraging -- girls having to wear skirts and tights, for
example, and this wristwatch example. rules for rules' sake
are stupid rules.
-alix, who loves to wear wristwatches, but finds them very
irritating to the skin after just a short while.
piranha
In article <4nkae0$7...@newsbf02.news.aol.com>,
KathlnTyr <kath...@aol.com> wrote:
>We did try the pocket watch, but like I said, he
>lost it after a few days, and he didn't want to carry another one we got
>him, since he got teased a bit about it, I believe.
how about a regular wristwatch, but closed around his belt?
>I am sure the reason
>he won't wear one (or any other "wrist thing") is psychological. He has no
>problem with cuffs on sleeves, even tight ones. It is the idea of having a
>specifically "wrist" thing on his wrist. (watch, bracelets, etc), or the
>idea of it. Sort of like a phobia (wristophobia? <G>). I have no idea why
>he is like this. Another example is when he was playing baseball last year
>for awhile, all the other boys on the team all wore wristbands
>(sweatbands?) to go with thier uniforms, and we wanted to buy him some but
>he really objected to the idea of that, even though the cuffs on the
>sleeves of his jackets are the same size and even tighter and more
>"irritating" than the wristbands would have been! It is purely a
>psychological thing.
yeah, it could be. it could also be that some materials
irritate him and others don't. i am that way -- while i
don't much like anything around my wrists and fingers (i
don't wear any rings or bracelets) some things bother me
much more than others. as i said elsewhere, i actually
_like_ wristwatches; they're so very practical, but i just
can't stand wearing them for any length of time. metal
is better than leather; synthetics are horrible. i also
like sweatbands for my forehead, especially when working
up a sweat in the garden, but again they irritate me to
no end. silk seems to bother me less than other mater-
ials, and very soft cotton is ok. anything else; forget
it. really wide sleeves don't bother me, and stretchy
cotton ones are ok for a while, but i don't wear long-
sleeved shirts either; i find myself rolling the sleeves
up after an hour at the most. it's annoying, because i
am not opposed to things against my wrist, and i always
try again, but they just subtly irritate my skin -- not
to the point of a rash, but just *ick*. and, as i said,
some materials are much worse than others.
so maybe it's not entirely psychological with your son
-- i'd also take into account that he's going against
his peer group here, in several instances. i doubt that
he'd do that just on a whim. and even if it was entirely
psychological, it would be a "real" reason. people who
have phobias _really_ feel the fear and loathing. it's
not something they do to get attention. so if your son
should have a phobia instead of a physical reaction, it
is just as real and just as serious, and the way to deal
with it isn't to say "get over it already" and force him,
but to seek qualified treatment from a professional.
-alix
KathlnTyr
>It sounds to me like you've tried lots of creative ways to help him work
>out his problem. Maybe it's time to remind him that it *is* his problem.
>Let him work out for himself whether he can find a compromise that won't
>violate the dress code, or whether he'd rather accept the consequences
for
>departing from the code than compromise.
>Seems to me that part of the "must wear a wristwatch" rule might be about
>encouraging and empowering the students to take responsibility for their
>own lives, anyway.
>Louise
That is one of the main reasons I also beleive. We have been trying to get
him to wear one for years, but he just will not even try anything around
his wrists. We cannot figure out his reasons about this. It could be that
he doesn't like the "feel" of things around his wrists or just that he
doesn't like to *see* things on his wrists (or other people to see) for
some reason. One time he was admitted to the E.R. and they put a bracelet
on him, when we went in the room with him he kept hiding his arms and
wouldn't let us see it, as if he was afraid we would see the bracelet on
him. (He managed to remove it from him by the time the doctor came in).
It's frustrating trying to figure out why he is like this, but hasn't been
too much of a problem until this came about in the school.