2.      Their diet – Remember that you are talking to a parent who thinks he should win “Parent of the Year” for dropping his child off at school each morning with a package of powdered doughnuts and a 20-ounce bottle of Dr. Pepper.  Students of all ages eat garbage all day, then complain that they are always tired.  My grandma always said, “Put garbage in, get garbage out.”  Kids who eat junk all day can’t concentrate, pay attention, perform complex tasks, or behave themselves in your room.  What you can do:  Don’t give candy as a reward to your students.  Ask the parent to closely monitor what their child eats, encourage them to eat fruits and vegetables…maybe buy those “fusion” drinks you see at the supermarket which combine just enough fruit juice with vegetable juice to make it taste good.  How about a box of raisins every day?  Anything would be an improvement at this point.  Remind the parent about the skyrocketing rates of Type 2 Diabetes in this country over the last few years.  I may not want to explore “childhood obesity” rates with the parent if their child is overweight…you may unintentionally be putting them on the defensive.  Once you put them on the defensive, they are pretty much done listening to your suggestions.