Know 3Cs that parents must promote among children
The start of the school year is upon us and with it comes excitement for a promise of new beginnings. Each summer and throughout the year, our children grow and develop before our eyes changing into young adults, fulfilling our hopes and dreams for them.
Consider these three C’s as you prepare them for the transition from the lazy days of summer trips and long summer days to the grueling daily schedule of school.
Curiosity needs to be encouraged and promoted. Researchers from the University of California at Davis found in a recent study that “curiosity puts the brain in a state that allows it to learn and retain any kind of information, like a vortex that sucks in what you are motivated to learn, and also everything around it.”
It is paramount to lifelong learning. Your own curiosity in their friends, their life and what they are learning will be contagious. Model life-long learning by talking to them about what you are learning at work or the gym or what you would like to take up as a hobby. The mind is a muscle that develops and strengthens with exercise and curiosity and learning is a pathway to a strong and healthy brain.
Communication with your children and their teachers is key to a productive partnership. Your children will benefit most if you work in concert with their teachers.
Make the first move if you have questions, don’t wait until the first parent-teacher conference as valuable time could be lost. Often, you as a parent can anticipate a problem or issue. Have the mindset of good intentions and approach the situation knowing that each teacher strives for success for their students. After two of you have made a plan, be sure to discuss this with your child in a developmentally appropriate way, including older students in the process. Then, follow through with what was decided as a plan for action.
Communication with your children about what they are thinking, learning and feeling. There are so many subtle opportunities to engage them in talking about their day. The ride to and from school is a great place to have a private conversation if you can get them off their phone! Be specific in your questions and follow up with an open prodding question. What happened in science today? What makes you say that? Don’t settle for nothing much happened. We know that is not true. Often it is difficult for your child to frame all that happened over the last seven or eight hours. Use some probing questions to get them started and then hopefully the conversation will flow.
Commitment to this process will help to ensure a successful year for your children. The hardest, yet most important, job I have ever had is being a parent. It is a job most of us take on woefully unprepared, but with all the illusion in the world.
We take our first steps as a parent learning from the wisdom and mistakes of our own parents, and develop our skills as we live vicariously through the dreams, missteps, and successes of our children. Stay the course, keep working at it and get better. Our children need the commitment to this process every day, so even with our busy lives, if a daily commitment seems too daunting; make a schedule, and keep that appointment.