As our kids navigate grades 1 to 8, they face a wealth of new opportunities and challenges. As parents, it can be difficult to find the balance between protecting and advocating for our kids and allowing them to practice their independent problem solving skills.
CHILDREN:
You may find that your children suffer from the following worries and challenges"
-workload pressures
-test anxiety
-peer conflicts
-bullying
-teacher conflict
-learning issues
Tips for Parents:
-help your child find balance (ensure that they have ample down time to balance work time)
-help your child develop their "tribe" ( a group of friends that help build them up instead of break them down)
-help your child learn and live kindness
-coach your child on ways that they can try to solve a problem before you step in
-meet with and get to know the teacher and staff so that you have a team relationship if you need to advocate for your child
PARENTS:
These years can be difficult for parents. As your child's world away from home expands, it creates new parenting challenges and opportunities. You may find that you face some of the following issues"
-feelings of protectiveness as you observe your child stuggle with a bully, a difficult teacher or workload issues
-feelings of anger on behalf of your child
-feelings of helplessness as you feel unable to "fix" your child's issues
-feelings of inadequacy as you feel unable to give the at school time that you see other parents being able to give
Tips for Self Care:
-spend time coaching your child about different ways of resolving conflict so that you have the peace to know that they have skills to manage their world.
-empower your child with the skills of time management
-get off the compare train....know that what ever time that you can give is valuable and appreciated
-if problems arise that are beyond your child's ability to manage, speak with the school staff to develop some team solutions for your child
These years are an exciting time for your child to develop and grow. The best parenting that you can do is to empower you child to make some mistakes and learn the important life lessons that will help them become strong, independent learners and beings!
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