Since my son started pre-K last year, I have struggled with the need to feel accepted or gain approval from others. Once my children started to enter the "world", I felt more judged. I realize now that all of those feelings were not totally about concern for my son and much more about me. And that makes me a little sad because I know my own internal drama caused me to react badly and put unnecessary stress on my family. But I am a work in progress. I no longer view my children's actions as a negative reflection on me (most of the time). Just like me, they was created with free will. We made a choice to focus on the positive. A few moments of misbehavior during an entire day doesn't equal a bad day. We encourage good behavior and remind them to show their teachers their best.
If one of our children has an issue during their school day, it is most certainly addressed by talking to them about the issue, explaining why it is was a bad choice, and together discussing a plan for making a better choice next time. But that is is it. We don't dwell, no harping. Quite frankly at this age, they only kind of remember what even happened! It has made a huge difference in our family life. Both of our children are excelling in school! Funny how that works, huh?
Yesterday was report card day for both of our children. Neither of them get real grades at this point. I had a conference with L's teacher this week and she decoded the grading system for me so I knew what to expect.
For Emory, we simply looked over it for comparison to last quarter and he is doing great (by our standards) in all areas. That is all that matters to us. We made sure to tell him how great his report card was. Honestly, I don't think he has any real idea what any of it really means just that mommy and daddy are praising him. I want to be sure I use this time to continue to use positive reinforcement and not let my feelings get in the way.
My kids are both happy and learning, how can I possibly ask for anything more?!
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