On to last weeks Practical Parenting and then a treat for you and the one you love! Are you tuned in to what your children are saying? Read the following that our Principal had to say about listening carefully to your children and problems at school.
This is something I wrote about in September. I thought it would be good to include it once again as a reminder for the rest of the year. Has your child ever come home upset and told you about something that happened that day? Your natural instinct is to believe every word and want to fix the "problem" right away. That is not a bad thing - but remember, you only have one side of the story. So what do you do?
The best way to respond to your child is to be a good listener. Let them tell you what happened. Assure them you care about their well-being and will find out what you can do about it after you contact the teacher. The biggest mistake you can make is to make a promise to your child that you may or may not be able to keep.
Remember, they are watching you and learning from you how to handle those bumps in the road. Here are some simple steps to help you -
1. Listen to your child's story - ask questions, especially when they use "absolute" words in their story (i.e. always, everyone, etc.)
2. Give them hugs with your words as well as with your arms - let them know you love them no matter what. Pray with the - God does care ever about the "little things."
3. Tell them you will contact the teacher to find out more information. (You can do this several ways - e-mail, phone call, or write or note.) Let your child know it is best to get as much information as possible before you can take any action.
4. Approach your child's teacher as neutrally as possible - try not to "attack" or
"defend." Ask for their version of what happened. Ask clarifying questions of them as well. Your child's teacher is your partner - they want your child to be successful also. Working as a team helps your child more then working in opposition to one another.
5. Let your child know what you found out. More likely than not, you and your child's teacher will reach an understanding. Even if you disagree with the final outcome, do not "belittle" the teacher in front of your child. That is detrimental to all parties concerned and very unproductive.
6. If all else fails, make an appointment with the Principal - I'm sure they desire to help your child reach their full potential. They will happily partner with you and your child's teacher to accomplish this desire. (I changed this one a bit to make it applicable to you since it was written for our school.)
Now for something fun! I'm doing more digital crafting (when time allows). Now if I could just figure out how to make a little money at it. Got some homework to do to try and figure that out. Following is a digital card that I was able to create with some digital freebies I've been collecting. You should be able to click on the card and it will open another window with the card in it. Then right click and copy the card. Next, paste it into a program of your choice and then print it on card stock. I love the "Lucky" song by Jason Mraz and Colbie Caillat so I used part of the lyrics for the card. Hope it works for you! Have a Happy St. Patrick's Day!
Well...I'm sorry but you cannot click the picture to open it in another window. If you right click it to copy it, it is really small for some reason and then when you enlarge it, it is distorted. Sorry! I have been playing with it and trying to figure out how to fix the problem but have been unsuccessful. If you would like, I can email you the card. Leave me a comment and we'll try that!
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