Pushing Through the Hard Places
My 9-year-old son has always loved school. He couldn’t wait to get there each week. That is, until he entered the 4th grade this year. He no longer loves school. He feels his teacher is too strict and that he searches for any little thing to discipline the kids over. My son talks about how hard it is to be in class for seven hours and says it’s no longer fun.
I tell him this is another one of those life lessons: There will be teachers and other people along the way that you don’t particularly like or get along with, but that sometimes we just have to push through the hard places.
At parent/teacher conferences, his teacher said he’s doing great both academically and in the classroom. But I feel it’s the stress of working with someone who’s not a good match for his personality that’s making the work seem all that much harder.
I let him know daily that I care about what’s happening to him. On the ride home from school, I ask him how his day went and if he had any problems. I listen as his frustrations tumble down like dominoes.
I wish I could pull something out of my mommy fix-it bag that would make this all better. But I can’t. What I can do is to walk alongside him and to offer encouragement. And learn as a mom to push through the hard places too.
Blessings,
Mary Darr
Editor, MOMSnext ezine
