I went to a party over the weekend that my son was invited to. It was one of those children’s birthdays where also families and adults were all invited too. We arrived early as I had to also help prepare a platter for the lunch and food. Now one of the things that I was praying for was for Jordan to be on good behaviour. I had been spending so much time focusing on his listening and speech that I thought we were going to be okay. I was excited to see his progress show. I like to use our outings as opportunities to test how far along we have progressed.
So anyway…it was quite an overwhelming day as most parents may relate to similar experiences where you kid’s don’t listen to you at all and the whole “bad behaviour, bad attitude” may as well be a sign you hang around your neck. My son did all of the opposite things that I asked of him. The opposite of everything occurred. He was screaming and throwing tantrums to the point where I had to take him into the room and calm him down and rationalise with him. It was a really huge obstacle to overcome; by which I was so close in just leaving. Isn’t this every parent’s least favourite experience to endure? Welcome to parenting they say.
Now…have you ever doubted yourself in times of complacency? Parent doubt can be felt on so many levels and in so many ways too.
I wanted to share my little experience that I had with my 2 year old and the steps I went through in navigating it all. Everyone may have a different way of dealing with things but one thing that I believe that important to remember is don’t let the opinions of others or situations undermine the work and effort you have been pouring into your child when it comes to helping them with their learning.
My son had speech delay so there is definitely going to be some challenges when it comes to certain experiences and although we are still on our journey together, he has done leaps and bounds when it comes to his learning.
So questions to consider:
· Ask yourself, how does your child respond in situations when they don’t listen?
· What are your methods of intervention?
· How do you manage stress when it comes to those pressing moments?
Dare I say, all parents are going to go through parent doubt when it comes to any form of learning regardless of age and I do believe it becomes even more challenging as they get older. There are so many ways out there and I guess it’s about seeing what is out there to help make it work. If you aren’t making a progress at all, try doing things differently. “When we know something doesn't work, that's a pretty good reason to look for a different approach.”
One of the ways that can help you with expanding and navigating your child’s learning opportunities without making it feel like a complete burden, is firstly making sure we are moving forward in identifying viable solutions.
Tutoring may just be the solution you are looking for and needing. It also can be considered as a gateway in further identifying ways to help with learning. What I love about some learning programs is that it gives parents an opportunity to see first-hand what their child is good at as well as show us keen interest in versus what areas need a little bit more attention and 1:1 time.
Tutoring provides young children an opportunity to learn and explore in a very relaxed way with the support of their parents by their side.
I know I gave the anecdote of my little 2 year old son struggling with behaviour and listening, but I do believe it’s all connected to their learning. What routes we take and what opportunities we try to explore is all connected to their success.
As a teacher and a mother, I get to experience both worlds from both sides. I do get to see the struggles and the tough moments we go through when learning doesn’t seem to stick as a parent. I also get to see what it’s like to teach children who aren’t mine in the shoes of a teacher and working with the parents in mapping out ways and strategies to help them learn better.
The solution and secret sauce is: “Positive feedback.”
Positive feedback is so important too, not just for your child to receive but also for parents too. Positive feedback is also important to understand. The greatest joy of parenthood is watching your child grown and thrive in their own unique way. The greatest win is recognising and celebrating how you have grown as a person through the process.
I know that positive feedback about learning can go ten steps further than receiving a discouragement or just general feedback overall. Why? Because parents have a quality that is hard to shift which is unconditional protective love. We want the best for our kiddies so receiving positive feedback will help with the wins, the struggles and working out what they like and don’t like. Ultimately, parents just want to help in any capacity they can whilst receiving the right information in a positive way so they can do so.
Having said that, tutoring is one of the many ways to overcome parent doubt and I say this because obviously this is my service to many parents by which you get to fully experience and see a closer and more intimate view of what and how your child learns best.
That’s it for now, if you enjoy this post, please check out my other blogs that are related to learning and parenting here.
Oops I almost forgot; I do have some worksheets here that can also help you with navigating some learning tasks in the home. These are printouts and fun activities that can help with attention, interaction and overall English Literacy.
Until next time.
Cass