I absolutely LOVE seeing my Facebook feed flooded with all of your children's “first day of school” photos. They are so happy, proud, and excited. I think to myself: “Wow, I remember my first day of school with their mom or dad!! Wasn’t that just 5 years ago?? OK maybe maybe it was more like 25 years ago...but who's counting? We all have such high hopes as we send our children off to begin a life long journey of learning. I would imagine no one sends their kid to school and thinks, “I hope he has a hard time making friends this year.” In fact, we all hope the exact opposite: “I hope my kids have fun today,” “I hope they like their teacher!” or “I wonder what subjects my kids will love” maybe even “I’m pretty sure my son will be homecoming king by the end of the week." You get the idea. :)
As I personally reflect on future hopes for my son, I would like to add "I hope my son is a good friend." I hope he gives others that are different from him a chance. I hope he extends a hand to a child that may not have such an easy time making friends. I hope he is strong enough to be that kid to stand alone, if needed, to do what is right. Wouldn’t it be an interesting twist if we, as parents, were the ones holding up first day of school signs with our wishes for the year? “Please be a friend to my son.” “Please be kind to my daughter.” “My kid can be shy- but please give him a chance.” “I couldn’t afford new shoes this year, but please see past that, he’s a really great kid." In reality, ANYONE can be the target of bullying- it can be as simple as your child being at the wrong place at the wrong time. So what can we do?? If you are anything like me I have a pretty major Mama Bear reaction. My goal is to protect my son at all costs. How will I ever cope when he is off being independent, without me?!?! OK. I just had heart palpitations… Ugh, the mere thought of your child being the target of bullying is enough to make even the calmest of parents channel an inner “beast mode.” It's true, when your kids are off on their own they will do, what they do. That's why I feel an open line of communication is the best gift you can give your child. It’s important to have conversations and ask questions. Get involved. Be non-judgmental if YOUR child is the one doing the pushing around- It's ok, we all make mistakes! Be ready to explain WHY their actions or words can be hurtful to others. Bullying is often a repetitive pattern- children who are bullied, are often bullies themselves. Education is our best tool. I want to stress the point of my blog is NOT to tell you how to raise your child- trust me, I’m on a HUGE learning curve myself - I mean, my child eats paper! (More on that later). My goal here is to raise awareness. To spark an interest. To make you stop and think, “Have I taught my child to be KIND?” It’s a very simple start.
This was me, about to start kindergarten in 1987!
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