02 May
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Parents, do you get tired? Do you get frustrated? Your answer is probably yes, and with good reason; the hectic pace of parental life in the 21st century can be exhausting. The complexity of children’s academic, emotional, and developmental needs can be overwhelming; you may confront a number of professional, family, and personal responsibilities in addition to those you manage as a parent. Whatever challenges you face, stress can get in the way of being the kind of parent you want to be. Read more »
04 Apr
Navigating the bureaucracy of a school system to find academic support for your child can be daunting. It is always a good first step to speak with your child’s classroom teacher (s). Teachers will be able to offer observations about your child’s abilities and performance, inform you of what might be occurring in the classroom that might interfere with your child’s school performance, and propose informal steps to improve learning and performance. If problems remain after such efforts, schools have formal procedures that you will need to know so that you can obtain the academic support that your child needs.
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13 Feb
For parents with children who are about to graduate from high school, families begin to feel the stress of transitioning to another milestone in their children’s lives applying to and enrolling in college. Aside from having to decide which institution best suits their children, there’s also the added worry of what their child should study, as well as having to cope with the proverbial “empty nest syndrome.” Amidst all this pressure, families may forget to address one of the more insidious phenomena that plague a growing number of first-year college students, and has been the ruin of many a promising child’s student career college alcoholism. Read more »
07 Feb
In her poem “To a Daughter Leaving Home,” Linda Pastan describes her experience of teaching her eight year old daughter how to ride a bike. As her daughter rides away up the street, the mother runs behind to catch up, anxious she might hear a crash. Her daughter laughs and “pumps for her life,” with her hair like a “handkerchief waving goodbye.”
This scene illustrates many of the feelings that parents have as they see their children growing up. On the one hand parents want to encourage independence, and work to teach children the skills they need to be self-sufficient. On the other hand, children’s independence can scare parents: will they be alright on their own? The child’s journey can also leave the parent feeling abandoned. As parents cheer their children on, they also feel the loss of their company.
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31 Jan
Adolescence brings about many changes within both the individual child as well as the entire family. These changes can bring both excitement and challenges as the developing teenager seeks out his or her autonomy and identity. Parents are important agents within this developmental transition, serving as a secure base while teenagers explore their environment. This can be accomplished through parenting strategies that foster support and encourage exploration.
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08 Dec
Resilience refers to the ability to recover from adversity and to function successfully despite difficult situations, stress, or trauma. As parents, we sometimes wish that our children will never have to deal with anything bad or hard, but we also hope that our children will be resilient if they need to be.
So how do we foster resilience in children? Building resilience is not unlike building muscles. Though some people are naturally more muscular than others, we all start out with level of strength. And everyone can bolster their resilience muscles through practice and training. Here are a few things parents can do to foster resilience in their children: Read more »
26 Nov
Studies show that children tend to do better in school when their parents and caretakers involve themselves in their formal education. Some of the benefits of parental involvement include: higher grades and test scores; long term academic achievement; increased motivation and self esteem; and more positive attitudes and behaviors.
Parents can take the following steps to further their children’s academic progress: Read more »
