Picking Your Battles

5/29/14

Children feel the need to have some control in a world where they have very little say. Battles happen when there is a conflict of interest. Not everything needs to be a fight. It is helpful for parent –child relationships to have some give and take. As parent, you are the boss—leader of the household. However, the best leaders know how to back off on the little things.

My youngest had a very interesting sense of fashion—wild and clashing. Fortunately she attended a school which required uniforms. At home, she could wear what she wished so long as it was weather appropriate. I have to say, sometimes those outfits hurt my eyes.

When a nice outfit was required, for a visit to grandparents or other outings like church, she was given a choice of two outfits. Having the choice made all the difference.

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4 Comments

  1. Hopefully you can figure this out:)

  2. When we lived in Brownsville, TX, I had the opportunity to teach ESL to adults and to mentor children in reading. From that limited perspective, I support every recommendation you listed. I observed that some parents were reluctant to participate at school out of embarrassment related to their limited knowledge of English. They would benefit from your ideas which ease the way for them to increase their comfort level at school and offer opportunities for them to increase their parenting skills.

    • Hello Joyce and welcome!
      It is not easy for many parents to get over a fear of teachers as well. Some had poor experiences and seem to have a permanent sense of dread when it comes to participating in school.
      I’m happy that you had the opportunity to teach ESL and mentor children in reading.It is such a great joy to see them learn. Once you can read, the world gets so much bigger.

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