Sometimes I think we make parenting too difficult.
Every once in a while I hear something come out of the mouths of my children and I think, “Brilliant! Why didn’t I think of that?” Their ideas are so simple, yet entail so much common sense.
As a new school year begins, I thought we could all use some words of wisdom from the children and teens in our lives. I asked students, “How can your mom and dad help you to be successful school this year?” Their answers are below. Read them, digest them, share them, and put them to use! Sometimes children can teach us just as much as we teach them.
Harris, age 8 – “Make me do my homework as soon as I get home from school so I won’t complain later when I have to stop playing to do it.”
Sam, age 12 – “Help me when I ask for help and really need it, but let me do things on my own when I don’t ask for help.”
Anna, age 8 – “Give me a huge hug every day before I go to school!”
Aaron, age 5 – “Let me tell you all about my day when I get home.”
Josh, age 11 – “Please don’t sign me up for too many things after school. Sometimes a boy just wants to chill out!”
Caroline, age 7 – “Help teach me the lessons I’m learning in school. ”
Javon, age 4 – “Make me eat my fruits and veggies so I can get the energy I need.”
Claire, age 10 – “If I ask for help when something is hard and I start crying, keep working with me….don’t tell me to stop crying first…it makes me feel bad when you tell me to stop. Sometimes I just need to cry about my homework.”
Caleb, age 18 – “It was great for me when my parents helped me with studying when I was younger.”
Nikki, age 6 – “Help me with my homework if it is hard but also help me unpack my lunchbox if I have leftover food.” (aka I might not always like what you pack me for lunch!)
Jake, age 10 – “Buy me the right school supplies. Like, don’t get me those extra erasers because then I play with them in my desk and it distracts me.”
Sofia, age 14 – “Keep my brother from bothering me while I am doing my homework. I need a quiet studying place.”
Ann Marie, age 8 – “Come to eat lunch with me.”
Wodajo, age 10 – “Let kids be themselves.”
McLean, age 15 – “Be supportive but not over the top…for example I like it when you all give me encouragement and you are present, but I’m glad you usually don’t push me too hard so that I’m stressed”
Teddy, age 6 – “You need to talk to my teacher and tell her not to let anyone call me Teddy Bear.”
Will, age 16 – “If you help me get my schedule changed and I don’t have to take Latin, I will be successful.”
Grace, age 9 – “Help me when there is schoolwork I don’t understand.”
Mary Stuart, age 19 – “It helped me when you reinforced the idea of working first then play … try to always get homework done first. Also it helps me now in college to have a big calendar with all of my assignments and projects with due dates.”
Emma, age 14 – “Don’t get frustrated if we don’t understand the explanation to a question we have about homework, projects or extra credit. Also when we don’t get the right school supplies ((calculators, rulers dictionaries, etc)) even if we say we are sure, don’t be upset with us. I know when that happens to me I am already upset with myself because I can’t use it and I can’t get a new one if its expensive and when you do it makes me even more upset.”
Camille, age 10 – “Let me snack while I do homework. Play school with me while I’m doing my homework. It’s fun for both parents to go school supply shopping with me.”
Parker, age 11 – “Store an electrical chip in my brain to help me memorize multiplication facts.”
Simple, huh? (All except the electrical chip part!)
Wishing you and your family a successful school year!
