Having never been a parent, I cannot attest to the difficulty of this task. I can tell you however, that some parents just don't care enough about their children. Plain and Simple. I can attest to the fact that children need the support of their parents to succeed. I can also say that if all parents could and would just try the following, their children would be much better off.
1. Do check your child's back pack when they get home to see if they have everything they need.
2. Do not dodge a teacher/principal/social worker's phone call.
3. Do not teach them to disrespect their elders, or that saying please and thank you is optional.
4. Do hear them out when they try and tell you something is wrong.
5. Do not over-schedule your child, and by association yourself.
6. Do ask your child what they learned in school today.
7. Do not say you're too busy to listen to them read.
8. Do be consistent in enforcing the rules you set.
9. Do not pretend everything is always okay. (They know that it's not)
10. Do take their teacher seriously when they list concerns.
11. Do not attack said teacher for voicing their concerns. If they didn't care about your child, they wouldn't tell you.
12. Do tell your child that you love them.
13. Do not set unrealistic expectations
14. Do let your children know it's okay to fail.
15. Do not teach them to hide their feelings.
16. Do laugh with your children when they do something funny...and teach them to laugh at themselves.
17. Do not criticize, intimidate or bully as a form of discipline.
18. Do help your children show genuine emotion, rather than to blankly stare into oblivion.
19. Do not assume that they just know you love them.
20. Do teach your children to be a leader AND a follower.
21. Do not dissuade them from following their dreams, as obscure or crazy they may seem.
Some of the parents I have encountered may say this list is easier said than done, or that I don't know what I'm talking about because I'm not a parent. To them I respectfully say...just try it and yes, I do.
I can completely connect with this list being at the after-school program. I'd probably add a few to it as well-- but anyway. You sound like an amazing teacher, and will surely be an amazing mom.
ReplyDeleteThe thing about this list is that it's not really that complicated. Seems pretty basic, really. This might sound like I'm bragging--but my sister is this mother. And her kids are kind to each other, well behaved, smart and helpful. She's not perfect... but I think she has these basics down pretty well. And I know that children differ in personalities and some tasks are harder to teach than others-- but aren't all children essentially the same in their need for love and support?
anyway... you're awesome. keep on keeping on.