Mommy HullabalooTM
by Julie Watson Smith
Dispelling the Myths of Mommyhood
School success – we all want it, but how do we get it? Well-intentioned, misguided attempts to provide our children with easy solutions can backfire into more stress for the entire family. With a little preparation, organization and common sense, a successful year can be as easy as ABC.
- Ask your child about his school day.
- Buy school supplies after you have the teacher supply list. Same goes with new school clothes. Wait until after the first week of school so your children find out what’s hip and what’s not.
- Communicate with the teacher. Ask whether they prefer contact via email or phone. How will she keep you in-the-know? Through newsletters or web updates? Schedule and attend parent/teacher conference days. Be prepared to use these meetings to address and questions or concerns.
- Display your child’s prized artwork or aced homework in a prominent family spot, so successes can be shared.
- Encourage your child to eat well and exercise.
- Focus on your child’s learning style.
- Get to know your child’s friends and their families.
- Have challenging, but realistic expectations for your child.
- Identify any learning concerns, and get help if necessary through tutoring, therapy, or medical assistance.
- Jump in and get involved! Attend your child’s back to school night. Lend a helping hand and volunteer with in your child’s class, the PTA or other school-sponsored events. If you are unable to volunteer, offer to donate supplies, snacks, or other necessary items throughout the school year.
- Keep attendance a priority.
- Let your child have some down time between school and bedtime. Avoid over-scheduling your child.
- Monitor your child’s online activities.
- No pain, no gain. Rather than saving your child from life’s experiences, allow them to o experience natural consequences of their actions.
- Organize an area for school papers, homework and more. Write important dates, numbers, and schedules in your planner and on the family calendar at once. Follow through with each paper – act, file, or toss it.
- Prepare your child for the next morning by gathering materials together in the evening before school
- Quiet on the set! Provide a quiet spot for your child to study.
- Read to and with your child. And, don’t stop reading to your child once they have mastered the skill. Take turns reading chapters out loud to each other. Also, be sure to let your child also see you reading alone.
- Set a schedule. Establish a definite time each day for homework, reading, or other academic activities.
- Take time to enjoy, appreciate, and praise your children for the wonderful people they are!
- Use a planner, like the Mommy Hullabaloo Chaos Companion to schedule upcoming events. Also, encourage your child to us an assignment notebook to keep track homework and projects.
- Veto activities that aren’t in your child’s best interest. And, don’t give your child everything he wants.
- Wait before jumping in to help your child on his homework. Let him refine his problem solving skills
- X the X-Box in the morning! This rings true for the television as well. Don’t allow your children to play video games or watch the tube in the morning.
- You are still one of the most influential people in your child’s life. Be there for them!
- Zzzzzz’s! Be sure that you and your child get plenty of sleep to keep up with the demands of the school routine.
Julie Watson Smith, mom of three and founder of
Mommy Hullabaloo. More than just a parenting column, it is a national
company inspiring moms to get organized and energized while learning,
living, and loving the chaos of mommyhood! Julie is also the author of
Mommyhood Diaries: Living the Chaos One Day at a Time (Wyatt McKenzie
Publishing, 2005) and the upcoming Mommy Hullabaloo’s Guidebook to
Learning, Living and Loving the Chaos of Mommyhood (TBD). Visit Julie at
www.mommyhullabaloo.com.
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