Oh baby! Serena’s billboards are a step too far
Our kids live in such a protected world now. But we must let them fly and learn to cope with knocks
Serena Williams’ husband bought four billboards to celebrate her return to the tennis circuit.
They proudly proclaim she is the “Greatest momma of all time”.
Astrong voice for women. The billboards are sweet. Serena is thrilled.
But if someone did that for me, I’d be mortified.
I’m far too Scottish to appreciate anything like that!
headteacher faced criticism last week when she sent a letter to parents saying that they – and the teachers – had a duty to help children deal with disappointment.
The children had applied to watch their local football team, Rochdale, play Tottenham Hotpsur in the FA Cup at Wembley. Far more children applied to go than there were spaces for, so it resulted in a lot of disappointed kids.
Headteacher Monica Walczak’s letter sparked a huge debate. Some described it as “ruthless”. Others thought she was right and was helping children prepare for inevitable further disappointments they will face as they go through life.
The key fact is that the letter went to parents. It wasn’t sent to the children. We can’t expect our schools to teach kids absolutely every lesson in life. Parents have a role to play.
In this situation, it was up to parents to manage the expectation and the disappointment, explain the situation and help their children to bounce back.
Some of the pupils who had wanted to go were as young as seven. That’s too young. It’s such a responsibility for teachers and sports coaches to take other people’s children on trips. I would have restricted it to much older children.
But we absolutely have to prepare our children for life and everything it will throw at them. I’m with the headteacher on this one. Our kids live in such a protected world now, compared to the past.
We’ve got to give our children wings so they can fly and help them to cope with knocks.
When my boys were younger and didn’t get picked for teams, I’d help them to understand it wasn’t personal.
Distraction worked, too – OK, you haven’t been picked this time, but that means we can do something else.
Children miss out on developing resilience and all sorts of social skills through the lack of creative play nowadays. There are far fewer kids out playing together like we used to. It’s all about “play dates” and mum or dad being nearby to help sort out squabbles.
But free plays helps to identify leaders, to work out territory, to teach children to stand up for themselves and negotiate. They are all invaluable skills and help children with that resilience they need in life.
I have seen parents going crazy when their children haven’t been selected for teams – ranting, raving and complaining. It’s someone else’s decision and parents would be better off putting their energies into helping their children develop that ability to bounce back.
The irony is the kids who were disappointed not to be chosen for the football trip have probably forgotten all about it by now, while some parents continue to rage.
Incidentally, maybe they had a lucky escape anyway, as Rochdale were thumped 6-1.
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There are far fewer kids out playing together like we used to do
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judymurray@sundaypost.com