We’ve discussed the truancy problem here on Back Talk time and again — how districts have looked at everything from high-tech tracking systems to daytime curfews to combat the school-skipping problem. A judge who handles the Richardson, Garland and Mesquite school districts has come up with an innovative punishment for truant families — a $195 fine, counseling sessions and a 1,000-piece jigsaw puzzle to be assembled only by parent and student together. The idea is that the kid and parent will be forced to spend time together, and says the judge, it helps build confidence and problem solving skills. This is as good as any other attempt at combating truancy and fostering closer parent-child relationships, I guess. I do have a special fondness for puzzles myself. The only person I know who truly loves puzzles is my grandmother — she always has one working and when we are at her house the family always winds up gathered around that table at some point. I think that’s the reason she keeps a puzzle on the table. My grandma is one of the wisest people I know. Maybe the judge is on to something.
