Ms 13 has no plans to continue in Italian next year, so the only thing that matters is the school's marks and how they appear to the outside world.
I never said she was special, and I certainly do not behave like the parents stated in the article you cited. My kids have been told off numerous times, and threatened with a wooden spoon and screamed at for being selfish little shits. I certainly do not bow to their every whim because I don't think it's good for them. They don't change their phones or iPods every six months because they're 'old and lame', and they don't have Nintendo DSs or the latest Playstation etc. Fuck that shit.
They pay their own mobile phone bills so if they have a $100 bill, then guess who's fault it is?
If she was failing a class I actually gave a shit about, then it would be a different matter. For example, maths isn't her strong point. We acknowledge that, and accept that in a selective school, she needs all the help she can get (the averages of those classes are probably around 99.9%). So we have her tutored. She knows she sucks at maths, but at least she tries because she knows it's important, and it's not a subject she's going to get away from easily during her high school career.
I would be really disappointed if she failed English or History, and she'd be in serious shit with me if that were the case.
ITALIAN, in her case, DOESN'T MATTER.
