The final day of winter break slips away. Are your kids ready to return to the regularity of classroom life?
As you approach the waning days of this school break, I find it’s a good time to check in with your child about school – and with yourself.
My fourth grade daughter is enjoying her last day of break playing with a new friend – testing the flavors that came with my all-too-cool, snazzy new soda machine. Thanks Santa! Who knew fizzy tap water could be so much fun. Yes, it’s another gadget to jam on the cluttered countertop, but who cares? Now the kids are squishing salty dough my daughter whipped up this morning for unknown purposes. I hear lots of giggling coming from my daughter’s room that I am trying hard to ignore because I don’t feel like scraping homemade cement out of the carpet.
My daughter is not that enthusiastic about returning to school. There are several reasons I’ve been able to root out. They generally have to do with classroom dynamics, social pressures, and an all-consuming need to “fit in.” It is a bummer when your kid isn’t excited about school. On the plus side, she’s learning to cope with a prolonged situation that is very hard for her. So this year may ultimately prove to be one of her biggest years for emotional growth. (At least that’s the outcome I’m banking on as we approach middle school).
I am going to be a Junior Great Books volunteer in her classroom this spring – starting later this month if all goes as planned – and am looking forward to being a more integral part of her classroom experience. She’s in fifth grade next year so the years of parent involvement in her classroom will be ending.
So, I am making an addition to my New Year’s resolution regarding weight loss and physical fitness. (Did you catch the recent Oprah headline, When Bad Muffin Top Happens to Good Women? Let’s just say I snapped up the issue.) I am adding being present for my daughter – even when her mood is foul and she’s struggling to get a hold of or ahead of her many – and often volcanic – feelings. If my mood is the trouble, I ask for the strength to walk away, and return to the situation when the air clears.
You never know, in a few months time, I could be living in a peaceful household and I might just be able to fit into my pants.
With that, I wish you all a Happy New Year and the best of luck and perseverance with your own resolutions.
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